Those Are Wooden Wings
by moonswirl
Summary: Gleekathon, days 1030b-1050b: Brittany finds her time at her Boston school challenged unexpectedly. - Faves cycle, shift B - Boston Britt series
1. And We Fly

_Started my daily ficlets to make the hiatus pass, then decided to keep going with a 2nd cycle, and then a 3rd, 4th, etc through 49th cycle. Now cycle 50!_

* * *

**CYCLE 50 SPECIAL FAVORITES CHART - **_So I've done 'favorites' cycles before, and this is another one, but since it's cycle 50, I wanted to do something special for it. So instead of the usual top 16 with a 6-chapter Boston Britt installment for Brittany (who has always been and remains number one ;)), this is how it will be: It's shift days through the cycle. Shift B will be a 21-chapter/day Boston Britt. In shift A, after the first day's 'extra' dedicated to New Directions, there will be four Top 5 lists, working their way down (all the number 5 spots, all the number 4 spots, number 3, 2, and finishing with all the number one spots)_

_The Top 5's are as follows (all are my 'top 5 favorite...'):  
* Top 5 Series (my series)  
* Top 5 Friendships  
* Top 5 Characters  
* Top 5 Relationships_

* * *

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Let's Take Chicago._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"  
Brittany, Brittany/Santana  
Boston Britt series  
_(all series now listed under the communities tab in my profile)_  
**

**1. And We Fly**

In her dreams, it could never go wrong. She was right where she needed to be, and she kept going higher, higher… The waking world wasn't as easy, she knew. She still missed home, her family, her friends… some days she even missed her Cheerios uniform. And when it wasn't that she missed something or someone, it would be about little things that were causing her problems, a difficult class, difficult test, remembering what was riding on her succeeding here… Then there would be the bodily discomforts, long days making her ache, blisters, bruises, sprains… But in the end all was well. She was at a great school, she was learning so much… and she had Santana. Some days it was scary to think how much she had sacrificed for her, and Brittany knew how much she just didn't want to disappoint her and make it all have been in vain.

"Hey… have to wake up…" she heard," she realized she was awake now, and…

"Santana?" she mumbled.

"You fell asleep here again," the girl informed her, just as she opened her eyes and saw her face swimming overhead, smiling. She didn't remember a pillow having been there under her head when she'd been sitting on the couch the night before, but now there was one, along with a blanket over her. She rubbed at her eyes, yawning and resettling.

"But your couch is comfy," she lamented. "It's like a cloud that smells like… cheese puffs," she declared.

"That would be these," Santana waved the bag which had been on the coffee table. Brittany tried to grab for it, but Santana pulled it away. "Breakfast first, but more importantly do you remember what today is?" Brittany dug her head in the pillow, wanting to sleep.

"Tuesday," her voice came muffled.

"And Tuesday is…" she led on. It took a few moments more before the blonde head turned up again.

"Oh…" Santana nodded, offering her hand. Brittany took it, letting herself be yanked up. "Am I late?"

"No, but you might want to hurry." Brittany all but dove into her shoes, straightening the clothes she had slept in. "Coffee and toast on the table," Santana added, and Brittany paused, smiling to her. "Go!" Santana pointed with a smile in return.

Carrying the speedy breakfast, she had rushed on her way back to school, back to the dorms. It was finished by the time she had reached the school, and she burst into her room to find her roommates, Tessa and Aimee, already dressed, just about ready to go.

"Morning," Tessa breathed, as though to say 'it's about time.' She was developing a habit of falling asleep at Santana's and having to run on to school, and if the school hadn't noticed, her roommates sure had. They never complained though, would never rat her out.

"Sorry…" she still gave a shy nod. She grabbed fresh clothes, sped through a change, brushed her hair into a quick ponytail, took her bag, and the trio headed out together.

It was coming to be the end of the session, and with that came the most stress Brittany had ever experienced since she had arrived in Boston. She'd have tests, both for her academic classes, and for her dance classes, and her success on both of those would decide her fate for the next year, not to mention her standing with Sherry Weston and the offer she had made her, and Santana and all she'd done just to be there with her, for her…

Maybe for that she had been staying there more often. She was so nervous, but somehow being there, with her, it wasn't as bad. She didn't have to say anything, she knew, and she let her… Not that she would ever have turned her away. Things between them had been good… really good. They had never really discussed anything of what it was that they were doing, what it meant. Part of them knew they weren't ready, to a point, that already being here in this situation, Brittany pulled from all she knew by an opportunity, Santana choosing to leave everything behind so she could be there to support her… It was a lot to adjust to. Adding more change, especially now, could be too much.

But Santana was here, and it had taken Aimee asking her about them, about their friendship, their relationship, for Brittany to start thinking about it all from another angle, and start to wonder if maybe she hadn't realized how much it could all mean, to both of them. It took a good friend to back you up when you needed it the way she'd needed it, but what Santana had done was so much more than that.

She had left her home, her family, and Brittany had finally seen just what it had meant, what it had done to her and her family. She had run away, basically. She had left a note but she had not told her parents. Her little sister Catalina had known, had encouraged it. But Santana knew her parents wouldn't be nearly so enthusiastic. Brittany had seen how having to call home the first time was hard for her. Since that time, going from having been sheltered by Artie's aunt and uncle to doing all she had to in order to get the apartment she now had, while she was showing all the signs of having settled down without difficulty, this wasn't the case.

Her parents were very upset, rightly so, Santana would say. Her father had come up to Boston, tried to get her to come home, but she wouldn't do it. When Mr. Lopez had gone away, it was as good as giving up. Brittany had stayed at Santana's for a whole week after that, to comfort her. It had already taken so long for either of her parents to come up there, after having tried on the phone so many times. She wouldn't have gone, no matter what, some of the details still blurry to Brittany. But what she did know was Santana hadn't spoken to her parents in a month; she called her sister every night.

Soon it would be summer, soon she could go… home, her first home. Boston had kind of become that, too. She'd been here long enough that she'd adjusted to this new rhythm of life, while Lima seemed so far away now and not so familiar. But she couldn't wait to see her family, to hold them, to see her old friends from Glee Club. Only one thing made her hesitate. Going to Lima would mean leaving Santana a while; she wouldn't go, Brittany knew she wasn't ready… Now Brittany had more to think about, but first… hell week.

These next few days were going to be hard, she knew. If she didn't have her roommates and Santana she wasn't sure she would make it. She had grown, had become stronger in these past months, but when it came to something like this, she was still that girl from Lima everyone called stupid behind her back, if they didn't do it to her face. But they were there, and every day they reminded her of how far she'd come, and how much further she could and would go… She just had to make it through the week.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	2. Burning the Midnight Oil

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Follow Me To The Cabaret._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**2. Burning the Midnight Oil**

Their dance review was all through the next day, their academic tests on the two days after that, so Tuesday was their last free day to buckle down and prepare for everything without test times. All the studios were packed, backed up, but after very little pleading, Santana had said Brittany could bring Tessa and Aimee and practice at her place, if they broke nothing. Before they could do that though, they needed to hit the books and hit them hard.

Brittany wad definitely improving. She wasn't anywhere near genius and it was small progress, but it was already something to be proud of, and she was proud. She had also been made aware of the fact that it wouldn't be enough, and she had to continue improving or it wouldn't matter. If she had been all on her own it might have ended another way, but she wasn't alone, and her friends kept her motivated in ways she hadn't known to be possible.

Sitting in the library, her head would begin to pound, and she wouldn't so much panic as she'd mentally flee, as Tessa would put it. A couple of times she had fallen asleep, sitting up there, and she would be awakened with a shoulder nudge. When she'd realize she had fallen asleep she would feel bad about it, but they had to keep going, so they did.

Aimee had helped her a lot in organization. It was definitely easier when she had a plan. Crossing things off her to-do list, she'd feel some accomplishment, which was a really good thing to her.

By lunch time, she was spent, but they had done what they wanted to accomplish for the day on that front, so they could reward themselves with lunch out of school, Tessa's idea. They had thought of going to the diner where Santana worked, but knowing it would be a distraction, for both her and Brittany, they had decided against it. They found themselves doing a 'pick and choose' lunch, which was when they would go to a food court, each get something from a different restaurant, stick everything in the middle and then let their forks go where they wanted to go.

That day's pick had involved a salad, a stir-fry, and spaghetti and meat balls. They knew to be careful in the mixes they chose, having learned from one incident that it could lead to... disaster... when they got back to dance class.

"What time are you going in tomorrow?" Tessa asked the other two as she eyed the stir-fry, presently met with Brittany's fork.

"10:20," Aimee replied. Brittany finished her bite, passing the container.

"11:40," she told her once she'd swallowed. "You?"

"11:00," Tessa spoke before eating up her bite. "So..." she spoke after swallowing, "We should be done by lunch time, right? We can go to the library after."

"Please, no more study talk, my brain is going to fall off," Aimee breathed. Brittany looked up.

"Fall off what?" she asked, and the girls smirked.

"Nothing, let's just focus on something else for now, please." Tessa pushed the spaghetti toward her. "Yes, exactly," she hummed, twisting her fork through the pasta, which now had Brittany laughing.

They had finished eating, so after a walk through the mall to start digestion going, they had gown down to Santana's apartment. The living room, not too big to begin with, was transformed into a practice space by pushing all the furniture - what little of it there was - out of the way. They all had their routines figured already, now they just had to get them to the best they could be. The other two would observe, critique, correct... and then they would switch and do the same.

They were midway through Tessa's turn - she'd gone last - when Santana returned from work and they saw how late it had gotten. The roommates would stay for dinner, and then they'd head back to the dorms. When they went, Brittany had this look like she didn't want to leave, so they had told her good night, and in case they didn't see her until morning, not to be late.

With just the two of them now, Santana sat by Brittany on the couch – the trio had put everything back, at her demand, while she'd gone to shower off her work day. Now she looked to the blonde who looked exhausted.

"Hey, come here…" Santana told her, patting her lap. Brittany blinked, resting her head there as instructed. "Long day for you too, right?" she asked, and the blonde nodded. "It's almost over…" she promised, brushing through her hair with her fingers. With her other hand at Brittany's side, she could feel her start to calm.

"I know… that's the problem…" she mumbled.

"You don't want it to end?" Santana smiled.

"Don't want to leave you…" she went on, and Santana's smile trembled.

"It's only for a little while," she promised. "You'll be right back here before you know it." There was a pause.

"What if I'm not?" Santana turned Brittany's face up so she could look at her.

"Why wouldn't you be?" She wasn't speaking yet, but the way she was looking at her…

"What if I fail? They won't let me stay…"

"You'll do just fine. You're a superstar, they'd be crazy to…" Brittany gave her a look. "Hey, I mean it, alright? You were already the best one we had when you left McKinley, and now you're just… You blow me away, every time," she promised. Brittany blushed.

"But it's not just that, you know."

"I know," Santana nodded. "But I know you can do that, too. You've worked so hard. And, look… you want to review right now, just tell me and we'll stay up as long as we have to." Brittany considered this.

"Can we get ice cream after? You know, to cool off my brain." Santana smiled.

"Sounds fair," she agreed. Brittany sighed.

"Okay… just give me a minute?" Santana didn't argue; she was good with this position, too.

"Only a minute."

Thirty minutes and a nap later, they hey had gotten up and broken out the books. They were up to two in the morning, and the next morning they would wake up, still fully clothed, tangled with one another on Santana's bed, books all around.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	3. Let's Go, Twinkle Toes

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Adventures in Back-Up._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**3. Let's Go, Twinkle Toes**

Whenever Brittany would end up staying over it was the same come morning: Santana would get up and find the blonde on her couch, sometimes in her bed, asleep, and in an attempt to leave her as much sleep as possible, she would go about putting some breakfast together for her.

On Wednesday morning, she woke up, dragged her feet out of her room and found her 'guest' showered, dressed, and eating cereal in front of the television. "Morning!" Brittany called out over her shoulder with a mouthful of cereal. "Coffee's on," she announced.

"How long have you been up?"

"I don't know, a bit," she shrugged. "Have to be there by eleven, so I can walk you to work," she announced proudly, making Santana smile and come to give the blonde's shoulder a squeeze on the way to the kitchen. She looked happy this morning, worry free… like herself. After how the prospect of her finals had been disrupting her, up through their review session the night before, this was a big turn. But with the knowledge that all she had to do this morning was to dance, maybe it had helped. They had both gotten ready, and left for the diner. When they'd arrived, Brittany had looked to Santana. "Wish me luck?"

"You'll do just fine," she insisted, but Brittany wouldn't leave without it. "Fine," Santana smiled, hugging her. "Good luck, Britt. Knock 'em dead," she whispered at her ear.

She got to school, stopping in her room to find the others were already gone. Aimee was first of them, a while before either of the others, but Tessa would still be with her, and Brittany would join them. When she found them, amid all the others waiting on their names to be called, they were sat there, minimally going through their routines. She sat next to them, just seconds before…

"Lloyd Kelly, Aimee," the woman at the door called.

"Right, here goes nothing," she breathed. Both Tessa and Brittany held out their hands to high five her before she went. They watched her go. Once she was gone, Tessa seemed more fidgety, so Brittany threw her arm around the girl's shoulders, making her smile.

"We're not supposed to come back after our turn, too crowded already," Tessa had relayed what Brittany had missed. "I can't just sit out here…"

"It's fine, don't worry," Brittany told her. They had forty minutes to kill and, with studying banned as a topic until the morning was through, the subject of choice became observing the rest of the girls pooling about the halls. This one was working on three broken toes, that one was a nag, this one flirted with the teachers, that one smelled… It passed the time. Eventually though, Tessa had caught her off guard.

"So… Santana's not going home this summer?"

"No," Brittany flinched.

"They're still not talking?" Tessa asked, and she shook her head. "Does it have anything to do with…" she gestured, and Brittany frowned, confused. "You and her, or…"

"Oh… No, no, she… I don't know if her parents really…"

"Mancuso, Tessa," the woman at the door interrupted them. She sighed, standing.

"Look, tell her, if she wants, she's welcome to come stay with me and my family in Indiana if she gets lonely," she told Brittany as she trailed off.

"Thank you," Brittany called after her, smiling before sitting back with a sigh.

Now it was just her, with forty minutes to kill until her turn. It might be said she should socialize more, but at this point she didn't see why. She liked her circle, small as it was. She was here but she wasn't forgetting where she had come from, that she had a past.

She'd been receiving encouragements and wishes of good luck from everyone back in Lima all morning. Her sisters, her parents, even her grandfather, then Mr. Schuester and everyone in Glee Club. As much as she couldn't wait to see them, it was hard to ignore the one part about Santana and her inability to go to Lima.

She let out so many breaths as she waited, she couldn't see how she hadn't fainted yet from lack of oxygen. There was so much for her to think about, but she had to push it aside. As much as she kept saying this dance review was easy for her, the easiest part of this week, if she let herself get psyched out with worries and all that mess, then it wouldn't be so easy.

"Pierce, Brittany S," the woman's voice had startled her. She got up and followed, coming in through the wings up to the stage.

She took a breath – yes, she still had air – and she got into position, through about… well, her… She thought about Santana, imagined her sitting in that audience of six and then nothing could touch her, not one fear. The music started, and she was off. Before she knew it, the review was over and she was told she could go. She dashed off quickly, no need to be told twice. She found Aimee and Tessa waiting outside the school, with Tessa still animatedly relaying how one of her reviewers looked like he wasn't even paying attention and he was going to wreck her mark, while Aimee tried to calm her.

This time around they did go to the diner for lunch, figuring in this case it might be beneficial, especially with how they had to get back to work afterward.

Brittany told Santana about her review, that it had all gone perfectly, and they looked pleased. Santana claimed she knew this would be the case – why wouldn't it. Brittany just smiled, not needing to get into her personal concerns again.

With lunch done, they were once again library bound. From now through the end of the week, her life would be this. Study, test, study, test… She was entirely expecting to lose her mind any second. Aimee had then made her draw up a checklist, so every test could be crossed off when it was done, to show how they were in fact moving forward.

Instead of Brittany coming to stay at her apartment, that night it was Santana who had stayed at the dorms. She knew Brittany would need her, but she wasn't going to let her be late to her first test because she had to get back to school first.

They had laid down side by side on Brittany's top bunk, secure neither would fall, and only in this way did the blonde manage to find sleep, or else she would have been wide awake, tossing and turning. Instead she was snug in arms that cared for her, and slowly but surely her eyes closed, and she went off to dream, dreaming of Santana in her Cheerios uniform… sometimes without it… cheering her on through her tests… Two days and it would be done, out of her hands…

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	4. Been Ready, Can Do

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Such a Bright Future._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**4. Been Ready, Can Do**

Thursday morning in the dorm room, it was as though all had been robbed of voices. The three who would be heading into class for their first test day were just so concentrated on what was ahead for them that it was impossible for anything or anyone to interfere. This left Santana more than inclined to try to roll with the punches and not stand in their way. She would be heading in to work soon either way.

They had four tests today – two in the morning, two in the afternoon – and three the next day – two in the morning, one in the afternoon. If they hadn't completely lost it yet, Friday night would be one massive victory lap.

After they had left the dorm and Santana behind – she'd wished them all good luck – the three had gone off to wait on their first test. Brittany refused to listen to others review, knowing it would mess her up. So she sat there, hands over her ears as she glared at her notes. She had stared at them so much recently it was hard to think she could ever forget what was written on them, but she knew that was still very likely to happen to her. So she kept on reading and reading…

They were called into the room, and her heart was leaping. Letting her notes and textbooks out of her hands seemed impossible, but she had to do it. The test began, and she repeated to herself what Santana had told her just the night before: do your best, you'll be as proud as I am. She wasn't sure how that would go, but she'd listen. She knew she'd start getting distracted as soon as she'd see people were starting to finish, but she couldn't do anything against the fact that she didn't work as fast as some people. Then she'd hear the teacher tell the ones who were left that there were five minutes left. When she handed her test in, she breathed. There had been a couple of questions left unanswered.

Bu what she retained for now was that she was one step closer to being done, and she had three more tests that day. So on she had gone to the second test, repeating her pre-test routine of trying to block out the world for one last review. On this one, she had finished with three minutes to spare. She was wary about review, then she'd second guess and… no… So she handed it in, and she was out.

Lunch was a blur, between recovering from morning and preparing for afternoon. Before she knew it she was lined up for her third test. By that point she was just going through what she had to, and she knew once she left that room she would pull out her list and trace in another checkmark.

The third test was not her best by far, but she'd never expected it to be, so she didn't wallow about it. She had one more test and then she could rest a bit. So on she went. This was going to be one of the harder ones, so it was a good thing it was the last for the day. By the time she was done, her brain could well have been letting off steam.

Santana returned to the dorm room to find empty ice cream cups and three girls napping in their respective beds. She had climbed up to look in on Brittany, leaned in to kiss her forehead before climbing back down and sitting back with a magazine on the ground. Eventually they would awaken and they would all four head off for dinner at the cafeteria.

They would not discuss the completed tests – once they were done, that was it. Talking about it more would only distract them from the three tests still on the roster. Even if they had one less the next day than they'd had on that day, it didn't make it easier. Actually, in the final test, the next afternoon, they were allotted twice as much time as all the other tests, so really it'd feel like two, especially to Brittany, who tended to take all or most of the time they were given. They had tried not to refer to it as 'the big one' but then how could they not? That was exactly what it was.

After one tired review session, they had gone to bed, with Santana once again playing human body pillow to Brittany. Friday morning came much too soon, with how much they dragged their feet, but that was out of their hands. They had to get up, get ready, go… four down, three, sort of four to go.

The first test that day and fifth overall came along, and Brittany was thankful she knew this was the one she was most confident about. She had been sort of afraid that she'd think she would do well, only to get started and find she had forgotten everything. But that didn't happen. She finished the test with fifteen minutes left, the most since this had all started.

The sixth test, on the other hand, was sort of a wild card. She had no idea how she'd do, so she'd gone in with a careful mindset. She didn't rush, just as everyone had told her. The minutes ticked by, and she was afraid she wouldn't finish, but she did, with just seconds to spare. Now there was lunch, one last reprise before… the big one.

Aimee and Tessa were both antsy about that one, too, which Brittany had to admit did make her feel a little better. Once it would start though, she knew that when it was over, then it would all be over, and she could relax. So she waited, and when time started, she turned her paper over and she began to read.

Every time someone finished, Brittany swore she could hear it, like a huge sigh of relief because they were done with their last test. She could even tell when, first Aimee, then Tessa, finished their tests and got up to hand them in and leave the room. Brittany didn't look up. She had to keep going, then she could have her moment, too.

The minutes were ticking away, and she worked. With no more 'next test' anxiety playing her, it wasn't so bad, but in reverse, the knowledge that freedom was nearing was as treacherous as the rest. She tried not to think about it, and she kept working. The five minute warning would absorb her sigh… she was done. She almost tripped when she stood, and she wasn't sure if her hand trembled from excitement or overuse as she handed her test in. She walked out of the room to find Aimee and Tessa waiting… they smiled at her.

"Done?" Aimee nodded.

"Done…" Brittany breathed.

"Done!" Tessa rounded it up, grabbing hold of Aimee's arm, then Brittany's. "Let's get the hell out of here," she declared.

"Where are we going?" Brittany laughed.

"Our room, to change, then out, to celebrate," Tessa informed her. "Already messaged Santana and she will meet us there," she promised. Brittany's heart leapt, no longer from being nervous.

"We're done," she beamed.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	5. Drinks On Me

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Safekeeper._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**5. Drinks On Me**

After months of cohabitation, Brittany and her roommates had gotten the whole shower rotation down a long time ago. They were already lucky enough to have a bathroom, and when all three had to use the shower, they didn't waste time. Before long, all three were through, and they were dressing up for the evening. Looking at them it was hard to believe these were the same girls who had taken three tests earlier that day and four on the previous one. But as soon as they had finished it was like a weight was lifted, and with it came a boost of energy to surpass their exhaustion.

Dressed to party, the girls left their dorm with high hopes and little plans, which was to say none at all. By the time they'd been ready to go though, Santana had been about ready to come join them, and she gave them the address to a restaurant because, as she'd put it, their brains and feet had been under assault all week, so they deserved to eat somewhere that didn't arrive first, they got a table, debating entrees. Aimee being so hungry and then wouldn't make it through dinner, and they needed space for dessert, also for dancing afterward.

"Again? We danced two days ago…" Tessa whined with a flare-up of exhaustion.

"Okay, grandma," Aimee teased her with a smirk and Tessa 'gasped.' "I'm going, and Brittany…" she looked to the blonde, who nodded, "… is coming too, you don't have to…"

"Hey, what, no, I'm coming," Tessa promised, and the others laughed. "Here," she reached into her bag, looking around before sliding small bottles to each of them.

"Woah, so we're starting the party early?" Aimee blinked, covering her bottle with her hand, like the others did. "How did you…"

"My brother's dating a stewardess, he brought a little stash last time they came to visit," she shrugged.

"That was weeks ago, have you been holding out on us?" Aimee gasped.

"Just waiting for a special occasion," she insisted. "I'm sorry…" she gave innocent eyes, and Aimee was at her mercy.

"Definitely no entrees then," she told her, just as Brittany perked up, spotting something over their heads. She waved, directing Santana toward them, standing when she approached.

"What are we drinking?" was her opening, as Brittany sat back when she took her seat. Tessa gave a look, as though to say 'how did you know?' "I've played 'hide the booze' before." The bottles were uncovered. "Hope you've got more of those," she smirked, nudging Tessa's bag with her foot and hearing bottles clinking in response. "Damn," she nodded approval.

"We've been stressed too damn long, I'm just saying," Tessa grinned, sliding her a bottle.

"Food first, I'm buying, so come on," she nodded to the menus, picking up her own. Brittany gave her a hesitant look. "Hey, I've been saving up for this, so everyone gets what they want," Santana insisted. "Argue all you want, I'm tired, I'm hungry, and tonight I'm dancing until I can't feel my feet," she announced.

"Well alright," Aimee nodded with a smile. "Let's eat."

They ordered their meals. Santana had gone for steak, while Brittany had taken fish, if Santana promised they could both share, half and half. Tessa had pasta, and Aimee had taken a salad and chicken. Tessa's stock of tiny bottles was only dipped into for a second round, the liquids disappearing into their glasses, mixed in.

"No, but it was her, I'm telling you!" Aimee chuckled as the other three were laughing. "She was standing back there, just sneezing, trying to hide it in the music, like… turn, squeeze, jump, two sneezes…" she mimed the whole thing, and the others laughed harder. "She almost missed her cue and crashed out the whole back row, but I caught her," she explained, retelling an incident from her last year with her dance school back home, before coming to Boston. The sneezer in question had transferred here as well.

"Big hero girl," Tessa beamed. "Can we go dancing now?" she swayed about, pleading. "After dessert," she added, seeing the look on Brittany's face.

By the time they'd made it to the club, another round of bottles had gone out. They went in with little more in mind than to celebrate and wash away the last week, replacing it with fun and ease.

They stuck close, the four of them, sometimes breaking up in alternating pairs. Brittany and Aimee, Tessa and Santana, or Brittany and Tessa, Aimee and Santana… More often than not though it would be Aimee and Tessa, Brittany and Santana. The further the evening stretched, they were harder to split. Whatever hesitations the Lima girls suffered, the other two had no problem holding to one another.

"Maybe you should stay at my place tonight," Santana had spoken close to Brittany's ear so she could catch her words. The blonde looked to her roommates, then back to Santana. "Just saying," she smiled, and Brittany nodded, laughing. "Okay good…"

When they'd all had their fill of dancing and now just wanted sleep, they'd left the club, one pair heading back toward the school, and the other heading toward Santana's apartment. Brittany was all but letting Santana direct her as she shuffled along, arm around her, head on her shoulder… It wasn't the easiest walk, with two pairs of tired feet, but they made it.

Santana thought that by the time she could get her through the door, she'd be lucky if she got her to the couch, where she'd just pull her shoes off, hook her up with a pillow and blanket, and leave her to sleep while she crashed in her bed. Only as she was shutting and locking the door, she began to feel the soft touch of lips at her throat.

"Britt, what are you…" she blinked, and a second later the lips had moved up to find hers, pressing her back to the door. It took her a moment for her to regain some sense of herself. "Wait, I…"

"Please, just this once?" Brittany begged lazily, and staring back into blue eyes, Santana was the weak one now. She had moved up to kiss her now, and she closed her eyes as soon as it had been done… If she took one step, then there'd be no going back, and whatever happened, she'd have to deal with it – they both would.

She reached down to take Brittany's hands in her own, never breaking her gaze. She kissed her again, letting one of her hands go so she could wrap her arm around her. It could have been easy for her to blame it on the bottles, but… she wasn't that drunk, just barely tipsy. No, she wanted this, had wanted it for a while, only she wouldn't let herself…

Not tonight though. Tonight she led the girl she'd followed to Boston into her bedroom, and taken her to her bed… They both deserved it.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	6. Weston Lunch

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Say You Had A Problem._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**6. Weston Lunch**

Back in Lima they would never really get to wake up together. Whatever happened between them, com morning they would end up either in their own beds, or their own side of one bed, as though nothing had happened. But this wasn't Lima, and this wasn't their parents' homes. When Santana had awakened the morning after their night out with Aimee and Tessa, she felt so warm and peaceful, she might have thought she was still dreaming, only before long her senses had started to kick in, and so did her memories. After being out dancing as they had, she should have been achier, but she wasn't feeling it. What she did feel was... contact, skin, limbs, breath. She was enveloped in familiar arms, curved against Brittany as she still slept. When she'd turned on her back, slow so not to wake her as she continued so she would be resting on her other side and come face to face with the blonde, she could feel her stirring. As soon as she'd stopped, Brittany had settled, nuzzling her head where she could. Santana just stared at her with nothing but love and admiration. If ever there were days she doubted her actions, all she had to do was to look at her, and she'd remember.

She had laid there, holding her close while she slept, committing everything to memory, from this morning and working her way back through flashes of the night before, when they had gained this bed. Realizing how much she'd really missed the closeness of her, the warmth, the touch, now she was feeling her eyes sting with tears, tears of... joy, pain, love, confusion, relief... She'd squeezed her eyes to try and make herself stop, and then she'd felt her fingers touching at her face, careful in wiping tears away. Opening her eyes to find hers staring back, it was a look she doubted she could forget.

The morning might have seen some discussion, the potentially difficult 'what does this mean?' talk, but then Brittany's phone had rung, and though she'd wanted to ignore it, she'd been made to answer. It was a good thing, as there she was told by a fretful Tessa that Sherry Weston herself had called, requesting that Brittany meet her for lunch. She panicked, but once Santana had been caught up, she had gone into action. Grabbing shorts and a shirt to slip on, she'd sent Brittany to shower while she found her something to wear. The coffee was put on, a small breakfast put together. It wasn't long until she'd have to sit to lunch, but she still had to eat something now. Brittany would sit and eat this snack, in her robe, while Santana fixed her hair. Soon, she would be dressed, wearing one of Santana's better dresses, the few she had. Santana promised her she would be perfect, and she'd sent her off with luck and a kiss to seal it in.

When she'd reached the restaurant, taking a moment to make sure she wasn't out of breath or sweaty or anything of the sort, she'd walked in and was directed to Miss Weston's table. Brittany had only ever met her in person once before, the day she'd handed her card over along with an offer to join her dance company. Brittany had eventually accepted, and now she was thinking maybe the time had come where they'd be taking the next step.

Tessa had given her all the information she could hope for regarding the woman, who was from Indiana, the same town as Tessa, which was how she'd become such a personal hero to the redhead. At age forty, she had over two decades of fame on her back, and her name carried weight. That she'd been noticed by her had been such an issue of pride for Brittany, and she wasn't going to let her down.

She was so tall and refined, Brittany was just as nervous in front of her now as she'd been the last time. But then she'd see her and stand with that pearly smile and she'd remember how kind and generally easygoing Sherry Weston was, just as she'd understand why she was so beloved in their community.

"Miss Pierce, hello," she offered her hand, and Brittany shook it. "I'm so sorry for the short notice, my trip was moved up and I had to see you before I left the country."

"It's okay," Brittany promised.

"Good, good, well, alright," Sherry smiled. "So the last time we saw each other, I said I'd set things in motion for you, and I have. I am going to be out traveling as I've mentioned, but I would like for you to come and join us over the summer, sort of like an observation period. You can see how it all works, get to know the people, so this fall we can take another step. How does that sound?"

"I can do that," Brittany smiled and Sherry laughed.

"I don't doubt it for a second. I've been very pleased to hear about the progress you've continued to make, and I know you'll fit right in with our company."

"But… we have to move out of the dorm in a couple weeks," she remembered.

"We'll put you up in a hotel, don't worry about it," Sherry waved it off, and Brittany smiled… even better. She was anxious to go home and see her family, sure. But they would understand if she had to stay a little while longer. As for her… a few more weeks in Boston also meant a few more weeks with Santana. After what had happened last night, these extra weeks would be so very much appreciated. She didn't know how those weeks would unfold, but now she'd have a chance to find out. "So that's settled?" Sherry asked and Brittany nodded. "Excellent. You'll receive the information in a few days," she went on. "Now, let's order, I'm hungry, you?"

"Sta… Yes," she redirected.

"Honey, you can say starved, I don't bite," Sherry promised.

"Well I didn't really have time for breakfast," Brittany explained.

"Why didn't you say so, I would have saved the chatter for later," she flagged down a waiter. By how he and everyone else would tag their responses with 'Yes, Miss Weston' or 'Right away, Miss Weston,' it was clear she was a regular and she got the service it commanded.

Soon their table was dotted with dishes and baskets and this and that, and they could start to eat. Sherry asked after her finals, her dance review – which she had been allowed to sit in on. She gave a few kind pointers, which Brittany attentively listened to.

She could see why Tessa practically worshipped her. Listening to her talk about her career – in response to her questions – Brittany just imagined her as a child, how she still had the same passion for dance as she did back then… They weren't all that different, they'd both started small. Sherry had taken off and had gone so far. Now Brittany was on her way, too, with so many possibilities opening to her.

After leaving the restaurant, still walking on a cloud from all the good things that had happened since she'd gotten out of her last final, she couldn't wait to do one thing: tell Santana. She wasn't sure, hadn't asked, but maybe Santana could stay with her at the hotel. She deserved a vacation, too, and this would be perfect. Maybe it would be a lot, with how they were just barely starting to take some steps toward each other, but it wouldn't hurt to put the idea forward.

Either way, her summer was looking up. She still had a couple weeks left at school, but after that… Things were going well. She had a few hours to kill before Santana would be home, so until then she'd just have to get everything ready for when she arrived.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	7. Good Things Always

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Anything You Can Do._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**7. Good Things Always**

Santana had been waiting on her shift to end, wanting to get home, ever since she'd texted Brittany to know how her lunch with Sherry Weston had gone and all the blonde would say was 'I'll tell you when you get home.' so of course, an hour before she was set to leave, her boss had asked her to cover another girl's shift. She was in no position to wave off a bit of extra money, so she'd had to stay.

She knew by the time she did make it home, she'd find the blonde asleep on the couch, in front of the television, which would make her let her sleep. Brittany knew this too, apparently, as Santana arrived to find a post-it stuck to her forehead saying 'wake me up!' Santana smiled, sitting on the ground in front of the couch, pulling the sticky paper away before taking her hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.

"Hey…" she spoke. After a beat, Brittany began to wake up. When she opened her eyes and saw Santana sitting there, she smiled.

"Guess what," she sounded half-asleep still. "Guess."

"I don't know. You saw someone famous?"

"No… well, I don't know, does Miss Weston count?"

"What'd she say?" Santana asked, while Brittany propped up her head in her palm.

"In a couple of weeks, after I move out of the dorm, I have a new address," she reached under her hip to pull out a slightly ruffled pamphlet she handed over. Santana blinked.

"A hotel?" she asked, and Brittany nodded. "I don't get it."

"Sherry wants me to get started at the company over the summer, so I'd be staying there a few weeks, so I would be in Boston a few more weeks," her smile kept on widening, showing how eager she'd been to get to tell her. Santana was stunned.

"They're putting you up at a hotel?"

"That one," Brittany confirmed. "Tessa got it out of me, and we went, me and her and Aimee just to look, and I got that to show you," she explained.

"Look at you, moving up in the world," Santana was bursting with pride.

"We get to spend more time together," Brittany told her happily. "And I was thinking, the room should be big enough so you could come and stay with me."

"In the hotel? You and me?" Santana asked and Brittany nodded.

"We can raid the minibar, Sherry said I could, and we can sit and watch movies… We can go to the pool, and Tessa said the restaurants are really good…"

"Sure would beat what I've been having lately…"

"It'll be like a vacation, except we'll be working," Brittany told her, making Santana laugh.

"Did they say you could?"

"I didn't get to ask, but I will…" Brittany promised. "But it's always big enough for two, especially this place, I mean look at it," she prodded the pamphlet. "We can totally share the bed, I mean…" she trailed off, unsure if Santana wanted to address the night before. She didn't, or… she did want to talk about it, yes, just not on that night, with a double shift in her and both of them tired.

"We'll work something out," Santana told her, and Brittany got the message.

'What about after? When I go back to Lima…" she asked. This topic was undesirable for different reasons, so it didn't stop her talking about it.

"After, I come here, and you go there…" she breathed, and silence hung in the air.

"I'm sure they want to see you… and Catalina, she…"

"Can't go back there, not yet," Santana shook her head, and Brittany looked sad for her. The prolonged silence, she knew, would be for her sister. They would talk to each other on the internet, video chatting when they could, but they had not seen each other since the day Santana had left Lima, and seeing as Catalina was still a minor, not even in her teens yet, she couldn't travel alone. So unless her parents brought her to Boston – which wasn't going to happen – the only way would be Santana going to Lima… and that wasn't happening either, not yet at least.

"I didn't ruin your life, did I?" Brittany's voice was small.

"What? No…" Santana took her hands, kissing her fingers.

"You came here for me, and now you don't have your family, and they don't have you…"

"It's temporary… I hope. We'll fix it, I swear. And I'm doing good, I mean I have a home, and a job, and school, and you…"

"Yeah, you do," Brittany smiled, which Santana mirrored.

"All things considered, things are fine. It's just… this one part that's not quite there yet…"

"But it will," Brittany followed, and Santana nodded. "I want it to be good for you too though…" she insisted, then, seeing the look on her face," I mean I know you said you're okay, I just mean… for later, like in the future. I've got all this going on, but what about you? You need to go big, too."

"Do I?" Santana asked, intrigued.

"Yes," Brittany told her. "Like… a singer, or an actress… something like that. We can totally be like a celebrity couple or something." This got Santana beaming. Whether they were talking about 'it' or not, Brittany had a picture of the future in that precious head of hers, and clearly Santana featured prominently in it.

"That'd be nice," she admitted, and Brittany nodded. "Come here…" she patted at the couch, like she wanted her to lie down with her.

"It'll never hold us both," Santana pointed out. Brittany realized this now, so she shrugged and slid down to sit on the ground with Santana, resting her head on her shoulder.

"Can't believe the year's already over… went by so fast, not at first but… since you got here."

"Happy to help," Santana swung her arm over her shoulders, the better for Brittany to snuggle up closer while she reached for the remote. She clicked through the channels until they landed on the Golden Girls and Brittany made a noise, so Santana put the remote down. After a moment, she sighed. "We could have done this on the couch, you know?" At the mere suggestion of moving, Brittany only brought herself closer. "Alright, alright, we'll stay down here," she breathed with a smile.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	8. Skid & Stop

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Open & Fly Away._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**8. Skid & Stop**

The end of the year was actually fun. They had finished, technically. They'd been tested, everything was done. But after that, before they would all spread out and return to wherever they were from, they had to wait out their grades, their assessments. So while they waited, there were special programs, brief tutorials, guest instructors… all they had to do was be there, observe, learn…

On this particular morning, one week after the end of 'hell week,' the three girls were excited, as the tutorial which would run for the next week was with a choreographer, an up-and-comer on Broadway. They had all gotten ready and headed down from the dorms toward the studio. It was as they were passing through the lobby that they started to notice something was happening.

"What's all that about?" Aimee frowned, seeing a number of their teachers, the headmaster, and a number of the more 'higher up' school personnel passing through, talking amongst themselves. The other two had no idea, so they'd moved along. They had sat and listened as their guest first spoke to them.

It was ten minutes later when Rebecca, one of their classmates, showed up late with her friends, that they heard them talk.

"… fired one of their recruiters."

"What? Why?" another girl asked.

"I don't know, but it must have been bad, they're all over there talking about it, I just heard a little bit. Think I heard something like James, did he recruit you guys?" Rebecca asked her friends, who all said no. Ahead of them though, Brittany had frozen in her spot, wondering… It wouldn't be hers, would it? After everything he'd done for her…

She didn't say a word to either Aimee or Tessa, and she tried to focus as best she could on their guest, not the rumors. Eventually they would move on to stand and follow the instructions given by the choreographer. This had helped Brittany to concentrate, only a half hour later they were interrupted. The headmaster's secretary was at the door, and when everyone paused, she addressed the group.

"The headmaster needs to speak with the following students," she looked to a slip of paper in her hand. She read off four names; Brittany's was the third. She looked to Aimee and Tessa, concerned. They gave her encouraging nods, and she went to follow the other three girls and the secretary. They were made to sit outside the office, and one by one they went in, following the order they were called.

Brittany didn't know what was happening, none of them did, and the wait was unbearable. After the first girl had gotten out of the office looking stunned and just walked on off without a word, their concern grew. For Brittany, it brought on a sort of knowing. She asked if the other two girls had been recruited by James Maurizio, and they said yes, just as the second of them was called in. Now they knew something bad was happening, even if they still had no idea what that thing was. The second girl had come out looking confused, though less so than the first, which didn't help those still waiting; she hadn't stuck around to tell them. Finally it was Brittany's turn.

She sat across from the headmaster, and she could see her file was open before him. She couldn't read the look on his face, and if he was trying to be reassuring, he was not so good at it. "Miss Pierce, there is a situation which has arisen here that I must discuss with you," he began, and she nodded. "You were admitted to this school following James Maurizio's visit to your school in Ohio, is that right?" Again, she nodded.

"Was he… I heard someone was fired…" she hesitated.

"Mr. Maurizio was let go, as of this week," the headmaster confirmed. "However, his problem, and the reason why he was let go have been under examination for a few days now." Brittany didn't know how to respond to this, so she didn't. "It seems Mr. Maurizio may have falsified some information which permitted some applicants to enter the pool when they shouldn't. We have reviewed all his recruits, to make sure everything was in order." He paused. "I'm afraid in your case we came upon a problem."

"Problem…" her voice lightly echoed.

"I need an honest answer from you now, were you at all aware of any of this?" She shook her head. "Miss Pierce?"

"No, I didn't know, I swear," she found her voice. The man looked apologetic for the first time now, and Brittany's heart wouldn't rest. "I didn't know…"

"In reviewing your results throughout the year, including your finals with us, along with records from your high school, which were sent back to us without tampering, we've been forced to come to a conclusion. As it is, your grades with us have not been sufficient to maintain the average required of our students. However in addition to this, upon reviewing your records from William McKinley High School, those grades alone would have disqualified you from having been admitted. You were never supposed to be here," he summed it up. When silence fell, it was as though she had realized she wasn't breathing, and she blinked, catching her breath.

"But… I danced…" was all she could say.

"We're not denying that you are an excellent dancer. On that front, your results have been exemplary. However in order to be a student here, your grades have to stand up as well, and in your case, they simply aren't enough."

"I… I got better, I was…"

"You weren't…" he started to explain again, and she shook her head, needing to hear the answer.

"But I got better," she begged, and again he looked sorry.

"Yes, you did." She was quiet, too lost in her own head. She heard what he said next, she knew she did, but she was frozen in place. "In light of everything I've told you, I'm afraid your place here at this school has been revoked, and you will not be able to return next year. You can attempt to raise your grades, reapply, but from what I have here, it's my opinion that by the time you would achieve this, it would be too late. Your room is paid through the end of the session, but you won't be able to attend the workshops and special classes."

When she'd left the office, her brain felt like it was about to squeeze out of her skull and she couldn't focus, form any thought. She ended up back in her room when Tessa and Aimee, who had come to wait for her after leaving class, had found her walking in her state of shock out of the office. They had taken her to the room. They didn't have to ask to know something was wrong, they could just look at her. They would get her to speak though and, when they did, though she didn't get into details, the gist of it was enough.

They'd kicked her out… it was done, she was done… this wasn't her place anymore. She could almost have preferred the not being able to think part, because now that she could, and the event replayed in her mind, it made her heart twist and ache, and she burst into tears.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	9. Hold My Hand

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Stars In Your Eyes._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**9. Hold My Hand**

Today was just one of those days, the ones where she just really needed to yell at someone. She'd been on the clock for all of ten minutes when a kid had flung his oatmeal at her and she'd had to clean it as best she could before returning to work. By then, she just knew, this day would suck. She waited for the next incident like inevitability.

They had to leave their phones in their lockers in the back, but Brittany knew to just call the diner's number if she really had to reach her. She was the only one who would, so when Linda at the counter had called to her, waving the phone, she'd breathed and excused herself from the obnoxious woman who was five seconds away from having her face shoved in the eggs she'd sent back three times already. She grabbed the phone, promising she wouldn't be long, before ducking through the doors to the kitchen.

"You have no idea how happy I am that you c…"

"Santana, it's Aimee," the voice had cut in, and instantly she froze.

"Where's Br…"

"She's here, we're at the dorm, just… you need to come over, right now. I know you're at work…" She was already moving to the back toward her locker.

"What's wrong?" she asked, opening the door, grabbing her vest and her purse.

"They expelled her, we don't know…" It was all she needed to know.

"I'll be right there. You tell her that, okay?" She hung up, going back to the front. "Linda, sorry, I have to go, family emergency," she left the phone and left.

One blissfully prompt bus ride later, she was dashing up the steps going into the school, going up to Brittany's floor and to her door. She let herself in, but as soon as she saw her, the rush that had carried her feet just stalled. She was sitting on Aimee's bed, Tessa at her side, holding her as her sobs continued, quieted by exhaustion. Aimee was sitting near as well, and when she saw Santana, she stood.

"Britt, she's here…" Tessa whispered, as Santana dropped her purse and came to receive the crying blonde into an embrace. They didn't speak at first, but Santana could feel her trembling, and it got her crying, too. It took some time, but eventually they had gotten her to talk, and she retold everything the headmaster had told her while she'd sat in utter shock. Her audience was shocked, too. When she'd finished, she had crumbled again, mumbling something they had to hear her repeat several times to understand.

"Stupid… so stupid… stupid…"

"Brittany, no…" Santana grasped her hands.

"Yes…" she shook her head. Santana looked to the other two, and they understood, getting up and leaving the room quietly. Santana looked back to the heartbroken girl.

"Brittany Susan Pierce, you listen to me right now. Are you listening? Hey…" she prompted, and she finally nodded. "You are not stupid. Places like this, they ask for more, that's not your fault, okay? I don't want you beating yourself up for that. I've seen you over these last few months, I've seen how hard you've worked, I've been so impressed with you… more than usual. And you've gotten better, I know you have," she insisted. The blonde still looked short of catatonic, and Santana brought her back in her arms, kissing the top of her head. "We'll figure something out, okay?"

"How?" she whimpered.

"We can appeal, maybe? They'd be morons to let a girl like you go. You dance better than some of your teachers, I'm telling you."

"They said my grades were never high enough…" Brittany shook her head.

"Hey, they're the ones who got fooled, but they let you in, if it were up to me they'd have to keep you anyway. You can be put on probation or something, you know? Give you time to try and get up there. I know you can do it," Santana was so determined on this, Brittany would find it difficult not to believe her.

"How?" she asked again.

"Maybe if you can get that Maurizio guy to say you had no part in this…"

"I didn't," Brittany blinked.

"I know you didn't, but they need to hear it. He needs to swear under oath or something. Then we can ask if they can make a deal with you, to keep you on, with the promise that you'll get your grades up to their requirements by the time they give you." It sounded plausible enough that it could work, and for the first time she looked hopeful again.

"Do you really think…"

"I know that this is where you belong right now, and I'll be damned if I just let them take it away from you without a fight," Santana told her, and half a second later she had the air squeezed out of her by the blonde's strong arms. "Okay…" she gasped, and Brittany released just a bit. "You'll be alright…"

"What if…"

"No…" Santana wouldn't hear it.

"But what if we can't…"

"We will," Santana maintained. "And if that fails, at least you have something to fall back on," she reminded her, and after a few seconds, she remembered: Sherry Weston.

"Do you think she knows? Think they called her? It was him, he was the one who told her about me," she reminded. "Think she'll be mad?"

"At you? Never. At him… She better be." She breathed. "What do you want to do now? Not going back to work today… not sure if I'll still have a job to get back to, but I can always get another. So… you want to go eat, or…"

"No," Brittany sniffled. "I need to go see him. James Maurizio. I need to talk to him. Now."

"Might need to shower, change, redo hair and makeup. Come on, I'll help," she stood. Brittany still looked shaken by what was happening, but she wasn't giving up, so Santana saw that as a good sign. They would get this sorted out, they had to. Brittany didn't deserve this, she belonged in the light, and in the spotlight.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	10. Like Icarus

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: We Are Of The Sun._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**10. Like Icarus**

Brittany had his office's address from a card he'd left her to congratulate her on getting into the school. Considering what it was she had to see him for now, it seemed odd, but here she was. She hoped he would be there, despite his having been fired. She didn't know where else to look, and she really had to see him. Thankfully, as she neared the door, she could hear his voice from inside. He was arguing with someone on the phone. She hesitated, waited. Once he'd hung up, she went and knocked, entering when prompted.

"Brittany…" he looked surprised. "Please, come in," he told her, so she did. His office looked like he was in the process of vacating, boxes everywhere. "You'll have to excuse the mess. Sit," he indicated the chair, but she wouldn't go.

"Is it true what they said?" she asked, and he paused.

"Please, sit," he tried again.

"You changed my records?" she asked. Maybe some part of her had held on to the possibility that this was all just a big misunderstanding, but now… she didn't see how.

"Look, I…"

"Why would you do that?" she was starting to hyperventilate, just barely. "Why…"

"Their standards are too high, and a girl like you, with all that talent, you never would have been seen…" he explained with so much calm…

"But… they won't see me now… They kicked me out," she informed him, and he blinked before shaking his head.

"See? What I tell you… too high."

"Tell them I didn't know, please, then maybe they'll let me back in," she begged. He looked to her. "Tell them I didn't ask you to do this." He looked taken aback.

"Is that all you want?" he asked. She nodded. He was silent for a moment. "What I did…"

"I never asked for this, I just want to go back again," she was trying not to cry.

"I did it for you," he cut in, and she quieted. "I did it so the world would get to know just how talented you are. A beautiful dancer like you shouldn't get sidelined because of a few algebra problems," he told her.

Somewhere in this declaration, her 'paranoia gene' had kicked in. Back when he'd first come scouting for her, when all he was doing was observing, she'd been on edge, knowing someone was watching her but not knowing who or why. In this case the red flags went up for reasons much more immediate. She didn't like the tone, the choice of words… Grades or no, even she could tell.

"I didn't ask you to," she told him, very aware of where she stood and where the door was. She couldn't jump to conclusions, but…

"You didn't have to. The moment I saw you, I knew you belonged here, with us, and I would be right there to help," he told her.

"But they kicked me out, for what you did," she pointed out.

"It's okay, it's alright. I'll find another school, get re-hired, and then I'll make sure they take you on…"

"No," she cut him off, and he flinched, which startled her. "You can't do that again, it's not right," she told him.

"Who cares about right and wrong? You should be there."

"I do," she told him. "I care."

"If it weren't for me, you'd still be in the middle of Nowhere, Ohio," he replied.

"Lima," she corrected.

"Whatever," he waved it off. "That little place didn't know what it had, but I saw it, I found you, and I brought you here."

She'd been stunned, must have been, because she had not noticed just how close he was getting to her. When she did, she tried to back away, slowly.

"I got you here, where they turned you into an even better dancer than you already were, and the only thank you I get is a firing, and this." She'd almost said 'sorry,' but she stopped herself. Still she knew: he wasn't going to help her, not the way she needed him to. She was on her own, her word against his… being here any longer would bring her nothing good, especially with the sense she was getting that she should get away from him.

"I… I should go," she breathed nervously.

"Go where? Do I intimidate you?" he asked, and she could tell he was now within reach, which was to say he could reach out for her. She continued backing up, but he was matching her, step for step.

"I just want to go," she told him, and she could hear fear in her voice. He was looking at her like she was being silly.

"Is that what you…" The moment his hand had found her wrist, she'd tugged it. And when his hold had sustained, firm around her wrist, now all the bells went off at once. She pulled harder, ready to kick and scream if she had to.

But her arm was freed on the second pull, and it was all she needed to hightail it out of there. Her heart raced, none faster than when she realized he was chasing. She sped up, hoping he wasn't as fast as she was… He wasn't.

She had kept running even when she couldn't see him anymore, ran until she got on the bus and she could be sure she had lost him.

It took a woman sitting there to point it out for her to notice she was shaking. She was so stunned that she hadn't felt it before, but now her wrist ached, felt hurt… She held it close to herself, with one thing in mind: get home, get safe, get to Santana.

Her day had started out so well. Then it had all gone to hell. She had been thrown out of the one place where she felt she belonged, and the person who had gotten her there had been revealed as nothing more than a guy with an obsession and the power to make things happen. Now she sat here, stripped of so much hope and trust in the world that getting to someone she loved was about all she could do.

She didn't want to cry again, didn't want to fall apart again. She was sitting on a bus, shaking and hurt, and she didn't want people to think anything about her, even if in this case they would have been right. All she wanted… needed… was to get to her, because she wouldn't betray her the way others had today. If she got to her, she'd be alright, just get to her, just get there…

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	11. Breathe Courage

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Remember Our Promise._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**11. Breathe Courage**

After seeing Brittany off, she'd gone back to her apartment. She had a message waiting from her boss, wanting to know what was going on… it could wait. She could hardly sit and do nothing as she waited, and she'd ended up going for ice cream – it wouldn't solve everything, but it would help… somehow. She was only gone a few minutes, but when she returned… there she was.

She had gotten off the elevator, and when she'd looked up she had seen her, down the hall, sitting on the ground next to her door. "Britt?" Santana had called out. The blonde had looked up, and Santana blanched. Even from across the hall, she could see her face and as bad as it had been when she'd found her in her dorm earlier, this was worse… "Brittany?" she'd hurried to her, dropping the bag by the door before dropping to her knees by her side. "Hey, talk to me," she begged. Looking down, she saw how the silent girl guarded her arm, and after some careful prodding, she'd let Santana take a look. Her wrist was starting to take color, and not the good kind. "What happened?" she touched her face, and Brittany's eyes turned to her.

"I ran…" her voice was distant; she was distant.

"Who did this?" Santana asked, feeling a chill on her.

"He ran, too," Brittany responded.

"Was it him? The Maurizio guy?" A whimper escaped the blonde, and Santana had her answer. Her hand went to her mouth as she closed her eyes. "I shouldn't have let you go by yourself, I should have gone with you…" her voice felt strangled. "I'm so sorry…"

"Not your fault," was the first near direct response Brittany gave. That wasn't going to make Santana feel any less guilty deep down, but it got her to move along.

"Can you stand? We should go inside."

"I'm good here…" she looked down, and Santana did as well. Her legs seemed to give off a tremor still… she couldn't stand yet, though she didn't want to say it. Santana took this in stride, grabbing one of the two ice cream containers from the bag, getting Brittany to rest her wrist against it. She winced, cringed.

"I know, I'm sorry…" Santana spoke softly.

"No, feels good…" Brittany breathed. Santana sighed, leaning in to put her arm around her as best she could without disrupting her ice cream relief. Eventually she just sat on the ground, next to Brittany. She hesitated, but then…

"Do you think you're ready, can you talk about it?" Brittany looked to the ice cream.

"Went to his office, he was there. I asked why he'd done what he did… He said I belonged at the school, that I should be thanking him… He sounded weird, I wanted to get away, I didn't like… Then he grabbed my wrist… He's really strong, you know? I pulled, pulled… and then I got away. He ran after me, but I was faster, I was fast…" she nodded.

"Brittany, listen to me," Santana spoke, her voice showing how painfully difficult it was for her not to just go and find James Maurizio and beat the snot out of him. "When you're strong enough, you're going to get up, we're going to go inside, and then we're going to call the police." Brittany flinched instantly.

"But…"

"No but," Santana shook her head.

"They'll call my parents, they'll take me home to Lima, I can't go, don't make me go, please…" she was panicking, and Santana took her free hand to calm her.

"You don't know that for sure…"

"Yes, I do, and then I won't be in Boston anymore, and I'll lose my spot with Sherry, a-and I'll lose you…" she cried, looking back at Santana, who was crying now, too.

"Hey, that is never going to happen, okay?" she took hold of her face, looking into her eyes. The emotions were too strong, she leaned in to kiss her. But you have to tell the police, alright? He can't just get away with this. If you won't do it for yourself, think about the next girl, the one who won't be as quick as you…" This connected with her, and she sniffled.

"He can't…" she shook her head.

"We won't let him," Santana vowed. "Think you can stand now?" she asked, and Brittany nodded, so she stood, helping the blonde up, minding her wrist which was still nestled against the ice cream. They went inside, where the ice cream was put in the freezer, replaced with an ice pack.

Santana had made the call, ready to hand over the phone if need be. She was told to get Brittany to the hospital, so they could check out her wrist, and someone would meet them there.

Knowing there was such a thing as strength in numbers in cases like this, she'd called to Aimee and Tessa, telling them what had happened. They'd meet them at the hospital.

As they rode on their way, in a cab, Santana looked to the blonde, staring out the window. No matter how she'd treat the whole thing, she still felt a heavy amount of guilt for how everything had turned out. She had practically handed her to Maurizio by sending her off on her own, no back-up. They may not have been aware of his being the lunatic he had revealed himself to be, but with what they had known, it should have been self-evident. She'd been so distracted with how Brittany seemed to want to handle it on her own that she had let it happen, and now…

The thought that this whole event could lead to Brittany's parents 'pulling rank' had not entered her mind at first either. They were not a presence, not here in Boston, especially in her case, and as long as they weren't mentioned, they could almost pretend this was a normal life, the two of them on their own, not a couple of teenagers striking it out of home… But Brittany was right there, they could take her home, and then what would happen? She'd be on her own, stuck there… without her.

This day felt endless, bringing more pain at every turn. They needed good news now, they deserved their miracle… All she could do for now was attend to the wrist, holding it and the ice with care. "You okay?" she had to ask.

"I don't like hospitals…" Brittany frowned.

"Hopefully we won't be there long," Santana tried to reassure her, although honestly she had no idea. Maybe they'd end up at the police station after…

"I liked the ice cream better…" she complained on her ice pack.

"When we get home, feel free to eat it all," Santana told her with a nod. The blonde looked to her, in deep need of reassurance. "You'll be okay," Santana obliged her.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	12. Done & Done

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Still Our Girl._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**12. Done & Done**

They had been seen soon enough once Santana had explained the situation to the nurse. Brittany wouldn't let her out of her sight at any time. Once Aimee and Tessa had arrived, Santana could see this was still the case, though slightly less so, which told Santana the truth of it: Brittany was scared to be alone, or without someone she knew at least in the vicinity. She tried not to let it turn up her guilt again.

When they had taken her to get an x-ray of her wrist, Brittany just sat quietly and followed directions. She wanted to get back to the three girls waiting outside. They had to wait for the doctor to come back, and as much as the two girls wanted to know what had happened to their roommate, she wasn't in a talking state now, so they had left it alone. It would come down to a hairline fracture, which would find her wrist put in a cast.

They'd been met by an officer who, once Santana got the blonde talking, listened as Brittany retold her encounter with Maurizio at his office, her whole history with the recruiter. As predicted, she was asked to come down to the station. James Maurizio would be found and, when he was brought in, the girls would have been sitting at the station for some time already.

Brittany had been forced to retell her story once again, which she grew more apprehensive about doing every time she did. As they sat waiting, she'd looked so traumatized. With all that had gone down, and with each return to events past, she couldn't help but think about what Santana had told her, about being lucky to have gotten away when she had, about other girls. She thought about what could have happened to her… She could still feel how tight he had gripped her wrist, how hard she'd had to pull to free herself. What if she hadn't, and… She shivered and turned to Santana, who instinctively put her arm around her shoulders.

"What if they don't get him? Or they let him go? What if he comes after me?" she asked.

"They won't. He's not going to hurt you, I swear. You'll be safe," Santana promised, rubbing at her back.

"Guys…" Aimee spoke, and when they looked up they could see a pair of officers bringing him in. Brittany sat bolt upright, keeping hold of Santana's arm. Santana for her part was posted firmly there – he wasn't getting anywhere near her. He hadn't seen her as they took him in to interrogation.

"Stay here," Tessa had gotten up.

"Where are you…" Aimee had blinked, as the other two looked up as well.

"I'll be right back, just stay here," Tessa insisted. They watched her walk off, approach the officer who'd spoken with Brittany once they'd arrived. Tessa spoke to the man for a moment, finally returning. Seeing the curious looks on the other girls' faces, she shared what she'd gone to learn. Though Maurizio had made a run for it when they'd gone looking for him, they had caught up to him, so they had managed to bring him in. As to whether he had any shot of coming after Brittany, while he wouldn't be able to go into detail, he had told Tessa that, from what they knew from Brittany, from the headmaster, and from even a quick look into him, she didn't have to worry. No matter what, she would be kept safe.

Still as they were getting ready to leave the station and go home, they had seen him being escorted down from interrogation, and this time he did see her. She'd flinched. Their paths would cross just for a moment but it would be enough. As he went by, he looked to her with a shake of the head.

"You're done, you hear me? You won't get anywhere without me, you have my word on that."

"Keep walking before…" Santana was about ready to leap at him, but Aimee and Tessa stopped her. Brittany for her part just watched him go.

He had opened all these doors for her, so she thought, only now… she couldn't tell what to make of what it all meant, that he'd had this whole agenda in bringing her here, which was now just… Her life was falling apart today, and now this, these words…

"What did he mean?" Brittany had asked slowly as they rode back to the dorms in a cab, her and Santana and Aimee in the back, Tessa in the passenger seat. She would spend the night at Santana's, but she'd begged to go back to her room to get a few things first.

"Nothing," Santana promised her.

"He was just trying to freak you out," Aimee agreed.

"But what if he wasn't? He knows people, and…"

"It'll get easier," Tessa told her from the front.

"I keep thinking that, but… it's always only ever gotten worse so far… Got kicked out, got hurt, got…"

"You'll get some sleep, we all will," Santana held her hand. "And tomorrow we can start figuring things out. It'll get better, okay?" she looked her in the eye.

"Okay," Brittany repeated, hardly convincing anyone.

When they arrived back at school, it felt like ages ago that they had been in class with their choreographer guest. Even with all that had happened afterward, it was like they hadn't been there in so long. It was late by now, most people off sleeping. They went down quiet halls, which made it easier to notice, the closer they got… one room wasn't quiet… and that wasn't right, because it was their room… and they weren't in it.

"What the hell…" Santana went ahead, grabbing the key Tessa had just pulled from her pocket.

"Hey!" the girl blinked, but the key was already in the door, and when it swung open, she froze.

"What is it? Who's there?" Brittany asked, moving up to see.

Who was there was her family… all of them. Her mother, her father and her stepmother, both her sisters, and her grandfather.

She hadn't seen them, physically seen them, in weeks, and after the day she'd had, seeing them was like a warm burst of something good, especially as her sisters rushed up and she got to hug them. If she had any expectations not to cry, she'd be deceived. Feeling their arms around her, she'd burst into tears, not her first time that day.

"You're here…" she breathed, looking to them, to the rest of her family.

The looks on their faces, the tired concern on them, it brought her back to reality. As much as she could try and tell herself they were just here to check up on her, deep down she knew exactly why they were there. Instinctively, she looked back to Santana. She was looking at them, too… Brittany wasn't the only one who knew why they had rushed up from Lima to Boston.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	13. One More Shot

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Confidence Girl._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**13. One More Shot**

Her mother had been the first to step forward, after Cat and Izzy, and holding her, Brittany had to just close her eyes and breathe. They didn't speak, just held. When they'd pulled back, Sue had picked up the wrist now wrapped in a cast. "Who was it? Was it him?" she asked, and Brittany knew her mother and Santana would have those same questions.

"Yes, but they have him," she promised.

"Does it hurt a lot?" Izzy piped in from her side.

"Less now," Brittany told her, as their father now came and took his turn hugging her. "Dad…" she breathed. At each hug she received, from him, and her stepmother, and her grandfather, her arm would be inspected. Her grandfather looked like he would cry, though he kept quiet, showing her a smile. Brittany would remain at his side the whole time.

"They called you, didn't they?" Santana guessed, instinctively on guard around her former coach. When Sue looked at her, she had to wonder whether the coach had been in contact with her mother and father, if they had told her… anything.

"If by 'they' you mean the headmaster, yes," Sue confirmed. "He told us you were expelled, and why." She looked ready to raise hell if she ever saw the man responsible for what had happened to her daughter, all of it.

"I'm sorry…" Brittany's head bowed. "I swear I had no idea…"

"You don't need to apologize for a thing, dear," her grandfather took her hand. "Least of all to us," he told her, and she smiled to him, leaning to his arm.

"I'm glad to see you, all of you," she looked up. "Really glad… Today was not good," she shook her head.

"Brittany, we didn't just come here for a visit," her father spoke. "And I think you know that." She let out a nervous little breath.

"No…" she shook her head. "You can't… please."

"Brittany, it was one thing for you to be out here to attend this school," her mother shook her head. "But that is no longer the case and, frankly, with what's happened today, we all agree the best place for you is back in Ohio with us."

"What about what she thinks is the best place for her?" Santana cut in, speaking up for the speechless blonde. Sue turned on her.

"Do you honestly think you have any word to say in this, after what you've done to your parents?" she spat, and it made the girl flinch.

"I'm right here if they have anything to say, they have my number," it took everything in her for Santana to keep her voice steady. "But we're not talking about me right now, we're talking about Brittany, and taking her home now would be the worst thing you could ever do to her."

"I think that is for her family to decide," Joe spoke up.

"She is," Brittany spoke out of the blue, and she stood up when the others turned to her. She was looking to Santana. "She is family." Santana felt a flourish of warmth in her heart, and Brittany nodded to her before turning back to stand before her parents. "And she's right," her voice hadn't sounded this strong all day. "I can't go back, not like this."

"Brittany, sweetheart…" Joseph looked to her.

"Sorry, Grandpa, but it's true. I have to stay."

"What happened with that… with that man…" her father sounded livid just to have to think of him.

"… was horrible. I know, I'm the one who lived it." She took a couple of deep breaths. "But I've changed here, I've grown… Can't you see?" she begged. "And I like what I've become, and what I'm still becoming. If I go back now, then… I'm giving up, and that's not right." She paused. "Please, don't make me…"

Silence fell over the crowded dorm room. Santana had never been prouder of the girl standing before her, and looking to him, she knew Joseph Pierce had never been prouder of his granddaughter either. He'd be on her side. Tessa and Aimee remained at the door, not wanting to intrude on this moment. Cat and Izzy were slightly lost as to what was happening. Charlotte wouldn't intervene, and so this left Joe and Sue, the parents. Brittany wasn't going to back down, they could see.

"How would you… proceed?" Sue slowly asked.

"I've still got Sherry Weston, my place with her company. I'll find a way, I'll finish school, and if I have to I'm sure I can stay with Artie's aunt and uncle until everything is figured out." The two parents looked to one another before Sue stepped up, looking into her daughter's eyes.

"One month. You've got one month to show us you're right, and that's it. After that, you're coming back with us when we come get you."

"One month," Brittany nodded, the first sort-of-good news she'd gotten all day.

Eventually, the visitors had left. They were staying at a hotel and would start back toward Lima after a night's sleep and breakfast with Brittany. When the door had shut, leaving the four girls, the blonde's knees had buckled and she fell back to sit on Aimee's bed. Santana came to sit with her, taking her hand.

"You okay?" she asked, feeling the fingers shaking.

"I did okay? I sounded convincing?" Brittany asked, looking from one face to the next. Santana let out a breath, bringing her close. She may have convinced her parents, but now she had to do the same for herself.

"You did great, perfect," Santana promised.

They had packed her an overnight bag, and then the two of them had returned to Santana's apartment. They had changed into PJs – Santana had helped Brittany, who was minus one hand in dexterity – and too exhausted for anything else, they had crawled into bed, side by side.

"Are you going to be okay to sleep?" Santana asked softly.

"I think so…" Brittany stared at the ceiling for a beat, then… "San?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you hold me? Just for a little while?" she begged. Santana slipped her arm around her while they both turned on their sides, the blonde's back to her. She could feel her exhale, settle into the hold. It had been the worst day, and as she felt the other girl's breathing slow, Santana knew that, finally, that wretched day was over. Morning would rise…

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	14. Temporary Lodging

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Living With The Empty Chair._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**14. Temporary Lodging**

Sherry Weston was and would remain out of reach for weeks still. As much as Brittany would try to reach her, it couldn't be done for now. They knew when she was supposed to return though, so until then they could only do what they could: wait. The other three would do all they could to keep Brittany motivated until then, though as much as they did make the next few days an improvement on this past one, and they did, before long they had to face one reality. Moving day was upon them.

Their dorm room was coming undone. Aimee and Tessa were packing up their belongings to be taken home for the summer. Brittany was packing, too, only her belongings weren't going to Lima… not yet. Though she had considered just staying with Santana until things got sorted out, her parents much preferred her original proposal, that she stay with Nick and Laura Abrams. Artie's aunt and uncle had come through once again, agreeing to take her in.

She hated the thought that she wasn't just leaving for the summer like Aimee and Tessa were. She was leaving this place she'd loved so much and she was never returning, because they wouldn't let her. In these last days, that realization was growing stronger and stronger, and she tried not to cry about it, but there were times where this proved harder than others. This had never been her intention, leaving. But all at once they'd pulled the rug out from under her…

"Come on, not again…" Aimee sighed, putting books in a box before moving to sit with her.

"My wrist hurts, that's all," Brittany deflected.

"Right," Aimee still hugged her, and Brittany took it. "This is just one door that's closed. You'll still find your way, I know you will. I know we weren't getting along too well at first, but that changed, and I got to know you… and I'm not even worried about you," she smiled, and Brittany managed to give one back. It got her back on track enough so she could continue packing.

When she was done, she had called Nick Abrams and he had come to take Brittany and her belongings over to his house. It felt odd to think the guest bedroom was now hers, after it had been Santana's, in the time right after she had arrived in Boston. She'd visited her here… now Santana would be the one visiting her, which she did later that day.

After they had arrived, Laura had offered to make her lunch, but Brittany had graciously declined… she wasn't hungry at the moment. She'd gone to the… to her room, and she'd laid down on the bed, staring at the ceiling. She must have dozed off. The next thing she knew, she was being woken up. She blinked, and her vision cleared to take in… "Hi," Santana smiled.

"Is it that late already?" she asked, then, "Fries?" she sniffed.

"Thought you might want them," Santana presented the bag which Brittany snatched up as she sat. Santana had managed not to get fired, something which had been helped along with Brittany showing up, the clean cast on her arm. It would probably be best if she didn't have any further 'family emergencies,' though nothing would stop Santana going to Brittany if she needed her.

"Want some?" Brittany offered the bag, a mouthful already being chewed along.

"All yours," Santana shook her head. "Besides, at this point I can barely stand to smell them." Brittany took note of this and pulled back with her bag. "Need help unpacking?"

"I don't know, should I? I don't know how long I'll be staying here," she pointed out.

"Here in this room or here in Boston?" Santana asked, and Brittany hesitated, fishing in her bag.

"I don't know…" she admitted.

"It'll get sorted out," Santana insisted. "You're not going anywhere."

"I don't want to let them down again," she was still not out of her funk.

"You haven't let anyone down, Britt, never." She kept quiet. "Would I lie to you about this, even if it was to try and make you feel better? I wouldn't do that. You're not letting anyone down. You're a fighter, that's something to be proud of. I know I am," she shrugged innocently, and she spotted a hint of a smile sneaking out at that. "There, that's more like it." Brittany went on eating her fries, balancing the bag in her lap and reaching in with her good hand.

"Still don't know if I should unpack everything," she looked to the stack of boxes.

"Okay, well, no, just take out what you think you'll need, you know, toothbrush, hairbrush… clean underwear… Although in your case…" she smirked, and Brittany chuckled.

"Oh, I know," she got up and went to one box, from which she pulled a large envelope. "Fingers are greasy, can you…" she held out the envelope pressed between her arm and her body. Santana took it, opened it and found the contents of what had been Brittany's "Home Wall." Letters, pictures, from friends and family. "There's one of you, where you make this face," she mimed. "Can you find it?" Santana laughed, reaching in.

"This one?" she asked, showing it.

"Yes," Brittany beamed. "Put it right there," she pointed to the nightstand. Santana obliged, propping it up against the lamp. "Perfect," Brittany declared, looking back to Santana. For how much she'd been working to make her feel better, she still looked like she had concerns for the blonde. "Is everything alright?"

"You're going to be okay…" it was unclear whether this was a statement or a question. Brittany waited to respond, waiting for some cue to know if it was one or the other. "I'm sorry, I don't know when I got like this, I just worry for you…" she admitted.

"I know," Brittany nodded.

"I still think about… him," her eyes flicked to Brittany's wrist instinctively, and the blonde looked as well.

"I do, too," she shuddered.

"If it were up to me, I'd have you stay with me…"

"I'll be safe here," Brittany promised.

"I know you will, they're good people," she assured her. "They're morning people, but other than that…" Brittany smiled. "Okay," Santana breathed. "Want me to help you find what you want to unpack while you finish your fries?"

"Yes, please," Brittany smiled on, offering one fry.

"They're yours, really," Santana got up, smirking.

"Okay, but I offered."

"Yes, and thank you. Now, up."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	15. Contingency

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: A Burdened Mind._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**15. Contingency**

Now that she was moved out of the dorms, it felt like she was just waiting on something, but then that wasn't right. Just waiting would not do… but she didn't have much choice, it felt. Sherry Weston would remain out of the country for another few weeks. By the time she would be back, her one month of respite would have almost run out… and that worried her more than anything.

She'd try to get in touch with her. Despite her best judgement, she couldn't just sit by, knowing she hadn't at least tried something to get to her. She'd called her office, she'd gone there, more than once, but all she ever got was a message taken, promised to be delivered. She'd return home empty-handed, no closer than before. She couldn't keep going, not if she didn't want to come off as a nag.

Coming back from another empty run, she'd stopped in at the diner to see Santana. She sat in an empty booth, sighing as she took the menu and stared into it.

"Good reading?" She looked up to find Santana placing a glass of water, paper place mat and utensils in front of her. "I recommend the club sandwich."

"Okay," Brittany shrugged.

"Bad morning?" Santana frowned.

"Why did things have to be so easy before?" Brittany asked. "I didn't think that would be a bad thing, but… it's so different here…"

"How so?" Santana asked, looking around before sitting across from her. Brittany shrugged again.

"At McKinley, I had a principal who let a lot of things slide, who didn't care because at least we were winning. And I had… a mother who was well-placed and could just… make things happen, like get her daughter on the cheerleading squad, even if her grades weren't good enough…" She looked up, sensing the surprise on Santana's face. "Figured that one out… all by myself," she gave a curt smile. "Everyone always protects me…"

"Because they love you…" Santana promised.

"James Maurizio 'loved' me… look where it got me. I've never had to fight, for anything… People just found ways to make it happen for me," she sounded almost angry. "They want even more here, and I don't have it. I just keep asking myself… why didn't I see it sooner, why did no one realize…"

"I don't know," Santana didn't know what else to say.

"I guess we were just so… happy that I got asked, and that I got in," Brittany looked back down.

"Okay," Santana decided, getting up. "I'm bringing you a club sandwich, extra fries… Maybe it'll get the bad right out of you, get you smiling again."

"I don't feel like smiling," she sighed. Santana returned to her seat across from the blonde.

"Don't get down on yourself for this," she begged. "What happened to the girl who stood up to her parents?"

"She saw the truth."

"No, you had it right, before, when you talked to them, and everything else you've told me… You've been committed to this, to making it. You've been working so hard, I've never seen you study like this… Right now it sounds to me like you're giving up."

"I didn't…"

"You want to fight for something for once, then do it," she looked her in the eye. "If you want something bad enough, then what's there to stop you but yourself?" Brittany let out a breath, taking in what she told her.

"You really believe in me that much," she stated, touched. "I know you do, always have… it's what keeps me going some days," she nodded, and Santana had to smile. "I just have to think maybe I can only do so much…" Santana reached out to take her hand.

"You're right… almost. You can do so much," she told her. "As long as you're really happy, as long as you're doing what you want to do, then I'm with you, I'll back you up." Brittany's face was captured with a smile, which gave Santana one as well. "Look who's smiling now," she nodded to her, and the smile morphed into a laugh. "Well, now, does that mean you got your appetite back, too?"

"Oh, yeah, starved," Brittany admitted. Santana got up.

"Club sandwich, extra fries?"

"And extra mayo," she nodded. Santana gave a small shudder.

"Why…" she shook her head to her, and Brittany smirked.

Waiting for her dinner, Brittany tried to feel optimistic, let the fears and doubts she had been feeling before just wash away. It was all sitting in her heart again, the thought that things could work out… and after everything that had happened lately, it terrified her. Just because everything was slowly returning to normal, whatever had become her normal, now that she'd lost her spot at the school, didn't mean that it would carry on that way for long. Part of her wanted to stay scared, felt it was easier that way, but with Santana's help, Santana's words… She made her want to keep on trying, to not go about in life waiting for the bad… It could come, probably would… sometimes… but if she stayed locked into waiting, then she'd miss everything else, the good… and the people.

"Club sandwich, fries, more fries, more mayo…" the plate was placed before her and she breathed in anticipation as the smell hit her nose. She looked up to Santana.

"Want to share?"

"I have to work," Santana pointed out. "Can't just play favorites," she gave her a wink.

"But I am," she sat up straight.

"Don't tell them that," she nodded to the other tables. "Tell you what. Can't share the sandwich with you, but after my shift is over, how about we get and share some ice cream?"

"I can work with that," Brittany agreed, dipping a fry in her mayo before eating it.

"You might want to walk that off first," Santana indicated to the plate with a smile before moving off. Brittany watched her go, trailing her with her eyes. She dreaded thinking what the last couple of weeks would have been like without having her here with her. Santana renewed her strength every day, and for how much she received, she wanted to give back… Whatever they had, it was growing, too… She felt it, deep within, like a good song that just carried you, made you want to get up and move, absolutely restless… the best feeling in the world.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	16. Backlash

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Finding Your Rhythm._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings" **

**16. Backlash**

Maybe her words had had more of an effect on Brittany than she'd realized. She would have thought what came in those couple of weeks that followed would have sent her spiralling, put her in her crying place again, but this was a side of Brittany she had rarely seen if at all. It was more of an attitude of determination, near unflappable. This would have flapped Santana.

James Maurizio's declaration that she was 'done' revealed itself for what it was. It wasn't an empty threat, and though no one would put it into so many words and confirm it had come from him, they weren't so naïve that they couldn't see what was really happening.

They didn't know how he'd done it, what he'd said or what his ammo was, but it seemed the whole dance community at Brittany's reach had gone and turned on her. She was as good as blacklisted, wherever she turned. Being that they were at a standstill on the Sherry front for now, they had decided, her and Santana, that she should look into her other options, just in case. Only whenever they went, they were met with a brick wall.

With the first rejections, as soon as the dirty work of James Maurizio was pinned as the origin of this little smear campaign, Santana had been ready to play comforting hand, but instead she'd found the blonde sitting there with a sour look on her face. With every new rejection, she only grew more vocal.

There had to be a point coming where she would crash back to reality, to what this was all collectively beginning to spell. No one would take her. They had no way to prove it was James, even though it was all spelled out for them. They were still hanging on because they had a backup, but beyond that, Santana knew things weren't looking good.

Then the envelope came. For some reason she couldn't explain, it had been mailed to the Pierces in Lima, to Brittany's father's house, and then the address had been crossed out and replaced with her own – not Nick and Laura Abrams – and then sent on its way to Boston… back where it had come from. When she'd looked to the top left corner, Santana could see the initials SWDC… Sherry Weston Dance Company…

It was addressed to Brittany, who had been living here in Boston all this time… Did they think she'd gone home to Lima? Either way, it was the fact that it had been redirected to her that gave her pause, until she understood the implication. If it was sent to her, then Brittany wouldn't be alone when she opened it. It had not been opened at all, so it was anyone's guess what was inside. It could have been information about her summer work, which had been pushed back, but if they'd sent it to Santana and not Brittany, then her family had to think it was bad news.

She had hidden it away until she could sit with Brittany and give it to her when she arrived, but then not long after, she had returned. The look on her face told Santana things hadn't gone well. "What happened?" she asked, as Brittany grabbed a cushion and shrank into the couch. She turned blue eyes up.

"Don't want to talk about it," the eyes went back down.

"That bad?"

"Can I go all Lima Heights on someone even if I'm not from Lima Heights?" was her response. Santana sighed… so much for catching her at a good time. She didn't want to hold it off, if they didn't know what was inside; though she wished it didn't have to be now, like this.

"You leave it to me," Santana promised her, quietly getting the envelope and coming to sit with her.

"Why would he do this?" Brittany shook her head.

"Because he's a guy, and his pride was hurt, and he's crazy, and he wants to see you suffer for rejecting him," Santana took a few shots at guessing. "And what I wouldn't give to give him a piece of my mind.

"Hard to think he and Sherry could be friends…"

"Knowing him, 'friends' is probably his way of saying they've had dealings in their line of work, and she's too classy to call him what he really is." This made Brittany smile, and Santana really hated to have to potentially take it from her, but… "This came for you today," she presented her with the envelope. When Brittany saw the initials, she froze, too. She slowly took the envelope, stared at it like she wasn't sure if she wanted to open it. But she did.

Santana watched her read it, and it was like watching a balloon slowly deflate until it just sat there all shrivelled and small and empty.

"Britt?" she carefully asked. The blonde's eyes were still planted on the paper.

"They took it back…" her voice was barely that, barely a voice, and if the apartment hadn't been completely silent, she would have missed it.

"Took what back?" Santana asked, holding her hand out for the letter, and Brittany slowly held it out.

"Their offer, for me to join them. They took it back." Santana had quickly scanned the words, confirming what Brittany had said. When she looked back up, she saw the blonde was silently weeping. Santana dropped the letter aside and gathered her up in her arms instantly. Sherry Weston had been her one leg to stand on, especially in these last couple of weeks. Without her, Brittany had nothing, and she knew this, so she had hung on to it… now it was gone, and she had fallen on her face. All the strength she'd gathered and maintained had gone away, and she'd been left weakened again.

"It's not over, alright?" Santana told her. "We'll still try. Sherry will be back any day now, you need to go and talk to her, maybe she can fix this," Santana felt like she was grasping at straws at this point, but if it would help…

"I can't…" Brittany heaved.

"Yes, you can," Santana welled up, hearing her suddenly so helpless. "I'll be right there, you'll get through this. I know you're tired, but you have to hang on. Can you do that?" Santana asked. She got silence and hiccups, but then finally…

"I can… try."

"I'll take trying," Santana nodded, kissing the side of her head. She'd hoped the crying was done, but now here they were. It just didn't feel right seeing her so hopeless. Brittany was that, she was hope, and she deserved to have some for herself.

She wouldn't bring it up to her yet, but Santana knew they were on the clock. Her family in Ohio would be expecting to know what it was about, and once they did, they'd probably be coming up to Boston, expecting to take Brittany and all her belongings back to Lima… for good.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	17. What We Want

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: When It Was Us._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**17. What We Want**

They'd had an expected return date, for when Sherry Weston would be back in Boston. Even before the letter had arrived, they weren't figuring they'd hear from her for a few more days. But then on the very day, the doorbell had run at Nick and Laura Abrams' house. Brittany was in her room, texting with Santana during her lunch break, when Laura knocked on that door and informed her that she had a visitor. She'd barely looked up and then there she was, being let in to her room. Brittany sat up, putting the phone aside.

"Sh… Miss Weston," she spoke, surprised to see her. Laura left them, and Sherry pulled up a chair, sitting in front of the bed.

"I'm just…" Sherry started, and Brittany was not expecting her to be so lost for words. Her eyes had gone to the cast on the blonde girl's arm, and Brittany could feel there was so much going on in her mind. "How are you feeling, does it hurt?" she ended up asking.

"Not really anymore, now it just itches… and stinks. It's coming off the day after tomorrow," Brittany informed her, and Sherry nodded along. She paused.

"Brittany, I'm so sorry…" she shook her head. Brittany hesitated.

"For which part?"

"All of it," Sherry assured her. "I should have listened to my gut on that guy, there was just always…" she breathed. "He's behind bars now, that's…"

"Why are you here?" Brittany cut her off. "You kicked me out… Everyone kicked me out…" she lowered her head.

"No, I… I swear to you, it wasn't my decision, if it were up to me, I would have kept you, no hesitation."

"Why didn't you?" Brittany asked. "It's your company."

"It is, but it isn't. That might not be a concept that makes sense right now… It never makes sense, but that's how it is. What happened with you, the file tampering, it caused a lot of talk, a lot of people that started questioning things, people that have a controlling hand in the company, and if those people were lost, the whole thing would collapse, and more people would get hurt. I wanted to take the risk, do you understand? I wanted to try, so you wouldn't be a complete victim in all this… But I was overruled. This may be my company, but sometimes the decisions don't come down to me. So, as much as it pained me, I had to let them send that letter." Brittany sat quietly for a moment, staring, letting it all sink in, until the only sound that came out was…

"Oh."

"Then I heard about what he did… to you, what he could have done, I… I heard there have been words, talk being spread, about you…" she went on.

"Do you believe it?" Brittany asked.

"Not one word," Sherry shook her head.

"But others, the others they do believe it."

"Some probably do," Sherry confirmed. "Others probably don't know any better or don't want to get involved. This can get even uglier than it has already. Right now your best option is probably…"

"What?" Brittany asked, after the pause had stretched.

"Let the dust settle for a while, take a step back…"

"Go home," Brittany translated.

"I'm so sorry," Sherry said once again.

"You said that already," Brittany pointed it out, then, after a blink and shrug, "You don't have to, I know it's not you, I get it. It's just…"

"What?" Sherry asked slowly. Brittany looked at her.

"I was really looking forward to working with you." Sherry looked ready to cry.

"So was I… Really," she told her. "You know, one of these days, it'll turn around and, when it does… Just hang on to my number, and don't hesitate to use it."

After she'd left, Brittany had to lie back down on the bed, breathing out. No matter what had happened, in all that mess, James Maurizio had actually done one good thing for her, the day he'd passed her name on to Sherry Weston. The woman was not what Brittany might have expected of her, and that was a good thing… more than she'd ever know. The fact that she'd bothered to come see her in person, to explain everything directly to her, it told Brittany that she hadn't misread her. She was a really good person who just had her hands tied.

But now this was where Brittany was at. No school, no job, no prospects… and parents who would expect one thing from her now. Maybe Sherry was right, maybe home was the best place for her now, to gather her strengths… There were so many things going on, tearing her in half seemed the only way to resolve it.

She'd had it all. For one moment in time everything just worked. She'd been plucked out of obscurity, taken to a brand new world and, as hard as it could be in the beginning, it had all led to what could be an even bigger break: Sherry Weston.

She was going to be a star. Her, up there, everyone looking at her… and her and Santana, they'd both make it, they…

Santana… She'd almost left her there for a moment, not intentionally, just… for a beat it was easy to forget her issue with returning to Lima; she just assumed she would come along.

At the same time, she didn't want to go, or… it felt like she didn't want to go, or shouldn't want to… because then it was giving up.

Her heart was starting to make funny sounds, or… No, that was her phone… Santana was trying to reach her, since she'd randomly stopped texting for fifteen minutes or so. She thought about all of it again, about her, and… maybe it wasn't just the phone.

She was going to lose it again, she could feel it coming. She needed her, she'd make it all make sense again. She told her she would be waiting for her at the apartment when her shift was over, and not to go out on another 'family emergency.'

So of course by the time she made it to Santana's, she was already there, waiting. She should have felt bad that Santana had skipped out on work again for her, but the moment her arms were around her, it just didn't seem to matter anymore.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	18. Your Decision

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Step Forty-Two, Know When the Time's Right._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**18. Your Decision**

Santana couldn't have stayed at work even if she wanted to. As long as this whole thing was going on, and it was clear that it wasn't over yet, she couldn't make herself 'de-stress.' Now knowing that the next hurdle would probably be coming soon, as Sherry Weston was set to return, so she knew Brittany might be needing her. Then she'd gotten the text from her, after a mysterious silent period, saying she'd be waiting for her at her place. She had no problem 'reading' the expression in her messages, and here she knew… something was up. So she'd left work again, headed home and made it there before Brittany.

When the blonde had arrived, Santana could see her instincts had not been wrong, and something did happen. Hearing that Sherry Weston had not only returned to Boston, but she'd actually made a house call to see Brittany, she had briefly hoped for good news, but that was not to be the case. Brittany looked almost unable to bring herself to speak, so Santana would try and help her along.

The first thing, stomping out the brief hope, had been that Sherry's visit didn't spell out a reprieve. Brittany wasn't getting any do-overs or changes of mind. The school wasn't taking her back, and neither was Sherry Weston's company. Santana had told her she was sorry for this, and Brittany had just kind of taken it.

She hadn't made up her mind yet, not in any sort of definitive manner, but if she was going to be honest with herself, she did know, and that was what made it so hard to speak, because of what it would mean for them, depending on how they handled it. So she had approached the subject a different way.

"Sherry thinks the best thing for me to do right now would be to go home, back to Lima, for a little while, to come back… maybe in a year… or two… I don't know, I… What do you think?" Santana paused, looking at her… She wanted to say she'd be surprised, but really she didn't see how she would be… Still…

"Well…" she started, looking almost covertly toward her. She could see where this was going, and she could also see the way Brittany was attempting to get there. She didn't want to take her away from that. "Maybe it is. The woman really has your best interests at heart, so if that's what she thinks you should do… No matter what you choose to do, I think it should be your decision, no one else's." Brittany seemed to concentrate on this for a beat. "And either way, I'm always on your side." That made the blonde freeze up momentarily, considering what she already had in mind and what Santana now added. "Britt?"

"I think… Lima…" she finally spoke, and as soon as she did she looked both relieved and conflicted. Santana breathed, looking her over.

"Is that… what you want?" she had to ask.

"No," Brittany answered truthfully. "But I think it's what I need." Santana took a moment before nodding.

"Then that's what you should do," she declared. Brittany looked hesitant again.

"But… what about you?"

"Don't you worry about me," Santana tried to sound confident, if not for herself then at least for her.

"I always worry about you," Brittany stated. "Not always the worry-worry, but… just I always… I think about you, you know?" Santana smiled to hide potential tears.

"I do know… I do the same," she promised, and Brittany beamed back.

"If I go back to Lima, I need to know that you… you…"

"Brittany, you do need to go to Lima, I think. It'll be good for you, to be back there, not get so caught up in… dance, and careers, and all that stress… It's not doing you any good right now, you need to let it out, and Lima… It can be just what you need." She knew what she was doing, and maybe just this once she didn't want Brittany to realize it, too. She was trying to get her to see the good of it, not so much the separation parts… and getting her to see it, in return, maybe she could convince herself, too.

"Come with me," Brittany asked suddenly, and more than anything Santana just wanted to tell her yes, of course she would go with her, but…

"Britt, I can't…" her face grew conflicted. "You know I can't, and you know why… Can't go, not with how I left things and how they still are…"

"I can help you, we'll fix it," Brittany was grasping now, and Santana felt rotten for having to say…

"No… If it can be fixed… and really you have no idea how much I hope it can… If it can be fixed, then I have to do the fixing, and until then… everyone will be better off if I keep my distances." She knew this would not be easy for Brittany to hear, but in return… Santana had not anticipated how seeing the sadness in the girl's eyes could make her second guess everything.

"Are… are you sure?" Brittany asked, and Santana had to make herself look her in the eyes, make herself be able to look at her head on when she spoke again.

"I am, Brittany. I'm sure. You have to go to Lima… and I have to stay here." After a beat, the blonde had moved up to hug her, and Santana took it, obliging, self-serving… It was sinking in now, for both of them, that with this decision they were committing themselves to another separation. And as difficult as the last one had been, with everything they'd been through together in the last few months, good, bad, or otherwise, this one was already feeling like it would be even more difficult than the previous one.

"We'll find a way, right?" Brittany asked, still tucked to her shoulder, and it made Santana smirk.

"Don't we always?"

"I mean it," she pulled back, looking at her.

"I know," Santana promised. "I will try, I'll… get over some of my pride and try to reach out. Hopefully something good will happen… We definitely need some of that."

"You can do it," Brittany tried to sound confident, not for Santana's abilities - she'd never doubt those - but for the results.

"Whether I go home or not, one thing's not changing: you, going back there, it's not going to be a permanent thing. You'll be back, here or somewhere even better. You belong in this world, Brittany. It's had a taste of you, and I think it liked what it got," she smiled, and she was rewarded with a kiss. It wasn't one that demanded explanation, its only motivations were a burst of emotions. Still its effect was the same. They felt a tremor, a thrill… They would have to think of being apart, but not now.

"Think they might fire you this time?"

"If they do, then I don't care… Tired of smelling like burgers and fries anyway."

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	19. Spent Light

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Standing Tall & Unholy._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**19. Spent Light**

Brittany had woken up that morning feeling a sort of… finality was settling in. On that day, she would be packing up her belonging, ready to be shipped home. She had a one-way ticket to Lima sitting on her desk, which she would be using, first thing tomorrow morning. Santana had offered to help, but Brittany had promised she could handle it just fine… She didn't have much to pack anyway.

The fact was, on that morning, maybe… it was all finally coming together, and hitting her… Things were ending, had ended, but felt it now, too. And with that realization, others had followed… some easier to process than others.

She took careful attention as she packed her things away. She was no good at folding clothes, but then Laura Abrams had this board, and all Brittany had to do was lay out a piece of clothing and fold in the board at pre-set lines… It was so easy now, and she'd be hard pressed to hide the giddiness it gave her. Brittany would sit there for a while just folding clothes to be put in suitcases and bags. It was almost hypnotic, and her mind would wander.

Santana would tell her she'd be back. She'd tell her that this was nothing but a setback, temporary, and that later she would return, back on top, back dancing away toward a bright future, so bright… Used to be it was all Brittany could ever want, all she ever dreamed about.

And then the bad things had begun to cascade over her. It wasn't until that morning, packing to head home, that she realized just what it was that it had done to her. It was as though it had let some parts of her, of who she was, just wash out with the current. It used to be that she woke in the morning and even if she still ached, even if she had a busy day ahead, her feet would practically twitch with anticipation for all of it, the dancing… Oh, she couldn't wait to get out there.

With everything that had been going on, the summons, the meetings, the running around and the regular bouts of crying… she hadn't danced in weeks, and that morning she noticed… She hadn't noticed, hadn't felt the twitch of a toe or the urge to go… practice, do anything. She didn't even miss it anymore, like… they'd sucked the love of it right out of her. She woke up, and it was gone, and she felt… hollow.

For a moment, just sitting there, all she thought was she wished she'd never come to Boston. If she'd stayed home, she would still have dance, Santana would still have her family, and Brittany would still… have little of a future.

She had more hopes now, she knew. She had changed and for the better at that, and that was definitely something she wouldn't trade in, so at the very least there was that… and then there was her relationship with Santana, what progress they had made… If she could just hang on to all that, then the whole experience wasn't a complete disaster.

But then she knew… if she came back to Boston, or if she went anywhere at all, it wouldn't be to dance. Everyone had so many expectations of her now, and that was new for her… Now though she might be letting them down. But she couldn't just go back for dance if her heart wasn't in it anymore, and it would be too painful to try, like dancing on a broken ankle… broken foot… broken feet. So if she came back, what would it even be for except… her.

Her clothes were all packed. Now all that remained really were smaller things. She had not unpacked all that much, just as they had discussed, at least it had not been intended as such. But her boxes laid there on the ground, opened, with contents spilled over the room, at times tossed back inside. Her job in packing… repacking… those boxes was basically to go around picking up the items and either return them to the box they had been pulled from, or find a home in any box she would drop them in. Some things she would carry in a bag, too scared to leave out of her sight.

She would put the 'home wall' envelope in that bag, along with the picture that had been on her nightstand since she had relocated from the dorms to the Abrams home. If it wasn't for the constant reminder that, no matter what happened next, Santana would remain ever faithful and supportive; she doubted she could have made it this far without a total mental breakdown. She wished more than anything that they didn't have to be pulled apart now. This was like one final cruel trick of reality, that after everything she'd lost, the one thing she still had would be kept from her.

With her last night in Boston approaching, she had finished packing. Her boxes and suitcases would either be shipped or brought to the train station the next day. As for the evening and the night, they would be spent at Santana's. If that was a problem, well… too bad.

She had showered and changed, taking her carry-on bag with her as she headed out of Nick and Laura Abrams' place for the last time, over to the apartment. Her whole journey felt like a farewell tour of Boston. This had become her home proper, in truth. This was the place where she had flourished into the person she had become and, as much as some parts had left her bruised along the way, she knew leaving it would be just as hard as leaving Lima… if not more.

She tried to just think about the flipside. It was one thing to think about what she had lost and what she would be leaving, but then there were things she was going back to, things and people… The last thing she'd packed had been the box containing her Glee Club's farewell presents. She had depended on them s much in the beginning, but by the end of her school year, she hardly ever opened the box anymore. She didn't need to, not to make it through the day. But seeing the people, her old club… Oh, right after her family at home, they were the thing she yearned for the most.

Maybe they could restart her… bring back the life to her broken dreams. That was the intent, really, in going home. Once she'd be there, she could get in touch with those emotions, and 'recharge her batteries' as they'd say. After all of it, the effort she had given, nothing would be more welcome than to have that again. Without it, she didn't know anymore… what would she be? Who would she be? She was going to be a dancer, easy… But now, she didn't even have that anymore…

She had to put that aside, all of it, at least for tonight, because tonight was about her, and it was about Santana. Who knew what would happen there? All she wanted was to get through the night without crying… again. But then Santana had to open the door looking like a work of art or a deity of some sort, and Brittany just felt powerless to the effects of knowing that, after they parted the next day, there was no telling the next time they'd physically be in the same room… She was doomed.

TO BE CONTINUED (TOMORROW)


	20. Only Now

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Of Neither Group._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**20. Only Now**

If they let it happen, they would have just spent the whole evening sat on the couch, holding on to one another, not talking, not doing anything but this. They would get to talk plenty even after Brittany was back in Lima, but this… Even the gentlest touch, insignificant or meaningful, was down to this one evening. After that, they would be miles apart. Brittany would be regrouping in Lima, not travelling, while Santana would be in Boston, unprepared and unable to go home… So what would be so wrong about enjoying what they could while they still could?

Brittany had arrived, and both of them could just feel a hesitation to talk. They both had this impending separation on their minds, and they could try and be calm about it, but between the things they had shared, and those they were still only trying to, it was just hard to know where to start. And then, sitting on the couch…

"I wish I could teleport… or fly…" Brittany had stated.

"What?" Santana was taken by surprise.

"So I could just… come and see you…" Brittany explained. The tension broke. Santana had reached over, bringing the blonde into her arms.

"I wish you could, too…" she told her.

"How are we going to do this? When can we see each other?" Brittany asked, pulling back just enough to stay in her arms while seeing her face. Santana breathed, thinking.

She had tried to solve that one herself so many times, and each time it only ever came back to the simple issue that neither was able to go to the other's city. Even meeting halfway came off as unpractical.

"You don't know, do you?" Brittany would eventually ask, after the silence had stretched so. Santana looked back to her, knowing honesty would have to win out tonight.

"No, I don't… but I'm going to do everything I can to make it as brief as possible. These last few months, recent events aside, have been the best in my life, and that's been because of you…" she told her, and the attempt to keep this night tear-free had gone out the door in a flash. Santana just had to see the first tears spring from Brittany's eyes for hers to get going as well.

"I don't want to do this, it's not… We're not supposed to be apart, I know. We were in Lima, and everything was fine, and then I came here and I was just missing you, all of it. When you showed up, and you were staying…" She was panicking, Santana could see it, and she would spiral down into depths that would swallow her whole. She was feeling all those things, too, knew exactly what she meant…

Her solution had been both solution and desperation, one last chance for contact. One kiss had expanded into another, and that one had gained drive, gained hands that searched the same: contact.

They had fallen asleep on the couch, wrapped in the warmth of each other. When they woke again, it was four in the morning, they were starving, and going back to sleep would be pointless as Brittany had to be up about three hours later to get ready and head to the train station.

"Want me to make you something?" Santana had asked, twitching as Brittany's fingers had traced their way to a ticklish patch around her hip.

"Can't we just go out to get something?" she asked, relentless in dragging her fingers along that spot.

"That would involve getting dressed, going out…"

"In like half an hour?" Brittany amended, pressing her lips somewhere between Santana's neck and shoulder. The words 'one of these days we will need to discuss this,' came to Santana's mind, but she didn't let them get any further.

They would leave the apartment at five thirty, knowing they wouldn't be returning there together again, and they had gone to the restaurant at the train station. It would only be a few hours now before Brittany went, and as much as they had done wonders in forgetting the night before, now they couldn't forget even if they tried. Brittany looked nervous, troubled, and as hungry as she had been before, now she stared at her food like she expected something that it wouldn't give her.

"You'll call when you get home, yes?" Santana asked her, which got her to look up.

"Why are you asking now? I'm not leaving yet…"

"I know, just thought I'd get it out of the way," Santana explained, and Brittany bowed her head.

"I will, I swear. And… you call, too… Just because, no reason," she shrugged with a smile.

"Count on it. Now eat," Santana begged her, doing her best to keep it on the bright side, too. Brittany had done as told for a while, though then she had paused.

"I don't want the long, sad goodbyes. It only makes things worse…"

"I agree," Santana told her. "How do you want to do it then?" she asked, and Brittany had thought about it.

"Can we say goodbye without saying goodbye? Just walk away, not like we're not going to see each other again for a while, just… we say "I'll talk to you soon," and that's that… Goodbye just sounds worse."

"I think we can do that," Santana looked at her, smiling.

"But we still hug," Brittany added.

"Wouldn't let you go without it," Santana assured her.

Soon the Abrams aunt and uncle would arrive, with the luggage Brittany would take on the train. When they came, Brittany said her goodbye-free goodbyes to Santana, keeping her close as long as she could before they had to part. Gazes held as best they could, but soon it would be done, and she would be waiting to board the train.

The first time she had come here, for her audition, she had arrived in this station. She had taken that train with Santana and Mike who had accompanied her. She had been so nervous she never would have made it without them… It seemed like so long ago now, but she remembered it so clearly. She remembered all those things that grabbed at her heart and she was good with that. In those moments it didn't matter who she was and what she could or couldn't do. She was happy, and nothing else mattered in those times… She was seeing no reason to commit this day to memory.

TO BE CONCLUDED (TOMORROW)


	21. And Forever

_**This is a double shift day.** There will be one more upload today: Gentle Healing Hands._

* * *

**"Those Are Wooden Wings"**

**21. And Forever**

She couldn't ask her not to go. She wanted to, needed to, but she couldn't… so she wouldn't, didn't. Brittany had been through so much lately, and she should be able to go back home and try to mend what she had lost, how best she could. It had meant that they would be apart, this she realized. But Brittany's happiness in the long run depended on this… She had to let her follow her path.

She had gone back to her apartment after leaving the train station. She'd gotten the day off work because, well… she'd be useless anyway. If that was the final nail in her diner job's coffin, then fine. She had a busy day planned, full of couch-sitting, and… that was all she had.

All she'd focused on lately was getting Brittany to where she needed to be, but now… what about her?

She had never regretted her choice to follow Brittany to Boston. She'd known what this all would entail, though it didn't quite prepare her for actually living it. She hadn't spoken to her parents, one way or another, in so long now… If she reached out, would they even be there to take her hand?

She didn't know what the future would be for Brittany, but she knew no matter what she'd want to be there to live it with her. If she ever managed to start a dialog with her parents, she'd need them to understand that… and she wasn't sure they could. She would have loved nothing more than to have this all be worked out in a calm and problem-free way. Her parents would say she was being childish and irresponsible, which just showed how little they knew of her life here in Boston. It made it sound like her decision had been made lightly, when it had been the hardest decision she'd ever made… and they couldn't see it.

Now she was here, on her own with no one she knew really, no one she cared to call a friend… Brittany had felt guilty about that, she could tell, but she wasn't going to let her. She knew what she was signing up for.

When she'd told Catalina that Brittany was coming home, Santana knew exactly how her little sister would react: she'd think that meant Santana was coming home, too. This was no sleight on her sister's cleverness. Santana had done her best to shield the girl from just how bad it was between her and their parents. She lived with them, so she had to know something was up, but she didn't know it all. And when she'd told Catalina she wasn't coming home with Brittany, she could hear the confused disappointment in the girl's voice. She would have given anything to hold her in that instant.

Instead she sat alone in her little apartment, trying once again to figure out a life without the girl she lo…

She was startled by a noise, a sort of thump at the door, followed by what kind of sounded like a grunt. She stood, alert as she approached with caution. If she was going to be broken in to, on this day, then she almost felt bad for the moron who would have to face her. And then there was a knock. It caught her by surprise. Whoever this robber was, he seriously needed to reconsider his career choices… either that or get congratulated on having guts.

"Whatever you're selling, I'm not buying!" she called out, padding slowly to the door.

"You put the chain…" the voice lamented, and Santana froze.

"Brittany?" she quickly snapped out of it and moved to take the chain down and open the door, and… there she was. "Did you… run?" she asked, noticing she was panting slightly.

"I wanted to… surprise you," she gave as a response.

"Well done…" Santana blinked. "Your train…"

"Yeah, it's gone," Brittany shook her head.

"You're not on it," Santana stated, and again the blonde gave a nod. "What happened?"

"I just… I couldn't do it, any of it. When the guy took my ticket and told me to get on, I couldn't move. The people behind me got mad, wanted me to go, but I couldn't, I couldn't go… not with you still here, just… not without you."

"Brittany, you know I can't…"

"I know, and I get it. But I don't want to be anywhere that's without you. I've tried it, and it sucks, you know?"

"Yes, I do," Santana felt her vision blur with tears.

"And I think I'm finally just in a good place about this, like… just the thought of leaving you… You have been there all this time, and you got me through it all. It's you I need," she nodded. "You, and us, and all of it."

"I don't…" Santana's mind seemed confused still, regardless of the fact her heart was right on track with what Brittany was getting at.

"I don't want to have excuses anymore. You and me sleeping together, special occasions, that's nice, really nice… But I don't need reasons to hold you close other than the fact that I love you, Santana… if you'll let me."

Santana was speechless, properly speechless. She could never have dreamed to think this moment could happen, or at least she didn't know how it would hit het. Figuring how to deal with her feelings for Brittany had been a path all on its own, edged with signs that told her to proceed with caution. Being here, where no one knew her, had allowed her to be more bold about it, but even then, it wasn't until now that it all just dawned on her. The pieces had already fallen into place, she only had to step back to see the final picture.

"You're… you're staying?" she had to ask.

"Can I stay with you?" Brittany also answered with a question, and it made Santana laugh.

"Where else would I have you stay?" she moved up to hug the blonde close, and neither looked willing to let go any time soon. When they did though, Santana looked back to her. "You're sure about this? You can still go home if you need to, I…"

"I thought I already was home," Brittany told her, and Santana couldn't remember what unhappiness felt like.

"This place is yours… ours… for however long you'll need it," she promised, kissing her.

Eventually she'd have to remember this might be fraying some paths with her Lima family as well, but this wasn't going to matter, not today. All she'd ever wanted, from the moment she had come to Boston with her, was to make her happy. All that happened since she'd been kicked out of school, it had been hard, but Santana knew her place was there, with her, to see her through it. So whatever came next, well… they'd be ready.

THE END


End file.
